Malaysians ‘in denial’ over abuse

Huckle given life sentence in June for molesting children

More than six months after Richard Huckle was sentenced to life in jail for sexually abusing scores of children, most of the families in the Malaysian communities where he lived are declining counselling and other help, police say.

Huckle had posed as a freelance photographer, English teacher and Western philanthropist over the past decade to gain access mostly to impoverished communities in Kuala Lumpur, where taboos around child sex abuse often prevent families from disclosing it.

Police reached out to 320 adults and 101 children in two downtown Kuala Lumpur communities affected by Huckle, Ong Chin Lan, the head of the Sexual, Women and Children Investigation Division of the Malaysian national police said in an interview.

Parents view

“We have identified a few victims. We have tried to identify communities,” Ong said. “But we respect the parents and guardians’ view of not coming forward. They don’t want to lodge a police report because of pride and shame.” “They [communities] are still in denial,” Ong said. “They say, ‘Leave my child alone. Let my child live a peaceful life from here on.’” Non-profit groups who are trying to work with the victims say they, too, are encountering difficulties in getting victims to come forward.

The Huckle case has prompted Malaysia to look at strengthening its laws. Late last year, the cabinet approved draft legislation that would widen the definition of child sex crimes and set up a special court to deal with such cases quickly. The bill is expected to be introduced in parliament in March.