Let kids know about paedophiles

Professor calls for children to be exposed and educated against falling prey to sex abusers

KUALA LUMPUR: Children as young as five years should be given exposure and educated about the dangers of sexual crimes by paedophiles.

Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia’s (UKM) Family, Women and Child Law lecturer Prof Datin Noor Aziah Mohd Awal believes that the lack of knowledge about sexual harassment against children has caused many such cases to go unreported.

Referring to the case of British paedophile Richard Huckle, who molested up to 200 children between 2006 and 2014, Noor Aziah said the matter could be prevented if children were taught skills to protect themselves and how to prevent such acts from occurring.

“Many people think it is a bit awkward to share knowledge about sex with children between the ages of five and 12, but in the present situation, parents and school authorities should play a role by educating children about sexual threats, such as the existence of paedophiles.

“For example, children should be taught how to distinguish touches, on whether it is a regular touch or indecent, to ensure they are more clear about the concept of sexual harassment,” she said.

Asked about Huckle’s action of using volunteer work as a means to approach and take advantage of less fortunate children in the country, Noor Aziah said charitable bodies in the country should be more selective in accepting volunteer assistance.

“In welcoming help from volunteers, we should also monitor, and take into account the characteristics of a paedophile,” said Noor Aziah, who is also a member of the Malaysian Coordinating Council for the Protection of Children.

“Although this would make it a little difficult for other parties to conduct voluntary work, it may help reduce the risk of children being harmed and maltreated by irresponsible people,” she said.

She also hoped that with the implementation of the Child (Amendment) Act 2015, a list of sexual offenders against children could be established, to prevent such incidents from recurring.

The British media reported that Huckle, 30, a freelance photographer, visited Malaysia as part of a teaching programme when he was 18 or 19, before he sexually violated children while doing volunteer work in Kuala Lumpur.

Huckle, was reported to be grooming children at a church here, and also attended sermons at the church for six years, during his visits.

The BBC reported that the legal proceedings against Huckle began in London on Wednesday.

He is facing a total of 91 charges against him, mainly related to 23 children from poor families in Kuala Lumpur, and he pleaded guilty to 71 of them. He is scheduled to be sentenced tomorrow.

Meanwhile, Honorary secretary-general of the Council of Churches of Malaysia Dr Hermen Shastri advised churches in the country to be careful when recruiting volunteers, by ensuring that they not only had the right qualifications, but also good personality and behaviour, to teach children.

He said churches should tighten the rules, and make sure all volunteers and staff adhered to the code of conduct contained in the Child Protection Act.

He said that if there were any complaints from parents or the child itself, action must be taken immediately, so that the perpetrators could be identified and dealt with.

When asked whether the church had rules pertaining to volunteers, Hermen said those who wished to work or volunteer would definitely need to attend an interview.

“Church officials must also assure parents that their children would be protected and cared for while they were at the church,” he said.

Children should be taught how to distinguish touches, on whether it is a regular touch or indecent, to ensure they are more clear about the concept of sexual harassment. — Prof Datin Noor Aziah Mohd Awal UKM Family, Women and Child Law lecturer

KUCHING: The Sarawak Women For Women Society (SWWS) has called on schools in the state to run classes to educate children about body safety to prevent sexual abuse.

SWWS president Margaret Bedus said that there is a lack of awareness of sexual abuse and low priority given to the issue.

“We need to teach our kids about others’ behaviour towards them. We need to discuss with them about good touch and bad touch as well as where to get help,” she said in a press statement yesterday.

She was responding to the case of prolific British paedophile Richard Huckle, who is facing multiple life sentences in the United Kingdom for abusing up to 200 children from poor areas in Kuala Lumpur.

Margaret said child sexual abuse had been raised time and time again but the country’s conservative society had shied away from speaking about the topic.

“As a result, children do not know what to do or who to approach and leaving this problem to permeate through our community. We need to change our attitude in order to protect our children,” she said.

“Parents, teachers and social workers need to open up and speak to children about this topic. We need to listen and care more about to our children.”

SWWS recently came up with a proposal titled ‘Women Calling for Change’, which highlighted, among others, the need to address the issue of child sexual abuse.

The recommendations include running programmes on child safety and reproductive health in schools and the community; raising awareness of sexual abuse through the Internet; creating a system for children to file reports easily; long-term support and approach for survivors; increasing the capacity and skills of key agencies through training; extending the work of inter-agency teams dealing with abuse (SCAN); providing an effective reviewing system; and calling for an amendment to the definition of rape in the Penal Code to include ‘fingering’.

SWWS also suggested that child protection officers employed by the Welfare Department should be professionally qualified social workers

Margaret said SWWS strongly believed that these measures would strengthen Sarawak’s ability to respond to the serious problem of child sexual abuse.

“We need to move and act quickly. We raised the issue on ‘finger rape’ a year ago but have yet to hear any development to date. If we don’t amend the law, we are making it easy for abusers,” she added.

Children who have been abused can call the Welfare Department’s 24-hour free Child Helpline on 15999. The SWWS Crisis Phone Line is 082-422660 (7pm-9pm on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday; 9am-11am on Wednesdays and Thursdays; and 2pm-4pm on Tuesdays).

Meanwhile, Huckle was arrested by the National Crime Agency (NCA) at London’s Gatwick Airport when he returned home for Christmas in 2014.

The NCA was tipped off about Huckle as part of an international police operation.

The case has sparked revulsion in Malaysia, with newspapers plastering photos of Huckle on their front pages along with angry headlines on Friday.