An Amanah leader has reignited calls for sex education to be taught in schools from the primary level, following recent reports of disturbing incest and rape figures.
Amanah secretary-general Faiz Fadzil in a statement noted that moral issues and problems among students, teenagers, and children in this country are becoming increasingly critical.
“Bullying cases in schools continue to occur and have worsened, with a recent case involving the pregnancy of a 15-year-old girl as a result of sexual activity with an 11-year-old boy.
“This is not an isolated case—more criminal incidents involving this age group, including drug offences, are being reported,” he stressed.
Faiz, who is also a lawyer, said that Malaysia’s criminal laws, including those concerning sex, are frequently amended to impose harsher penalties and ease the burden of proof, but yet criminal cases and moral issues among school students remain widespread.
As such, he argued that the law alone is not a complete solution to curbing moral and criminal problems among students, including sexual offences.
“Thus, we—especially the Malay community—must be open-minded in accepting the proposal for the implementation of sex education from the primary school level.
“Moral education should be improved to include sex education in the syllabus, to provide knowledge and early exposure to religious laws, civil laws, and the life consequences of criminal acts, including sexual ones,” said the former Permatang Pasir assemblyperson.
“Undoubtedly, there will be groups who criticise and oppose this proposal in the name of religion.
“However, out-of-wedlock pregnancies are also against religious teachings and further contribute to the social problems affecting the Malay community. Therefore, teenage pregnancies must be curbed immediately,” he stressed.
Shocking developments
In a shocking case, Kelantan police chief Yusoff Mamat revealed that an 11-year-old boy had impregnated his 15-year-old cousin, which led to the boy being detained to assist in the investigation and his cousin being handed over to the Welfare Department.
According to Yusoff, police investigations found a significant amount of pornographic material on the teenage girl’s mobile phone.
Bernama also reported that 252 rape and incest cases were reported in 2024 compared to 206 cases in 2023, an increase of 22.3 percent.
Commenting further, Faiz said the time has come to think more openly and reject narrow-minded views that claim sex education is a liberal agenda.
“We should adopt a moderate approach in all matters and use the concept of fiqh mizan (the balanced jurisprudence) as our guiding principle.
“Between the sin of sexual activity and teenage pregnancy, which causes greater harm? After all, one of the aims of maqasid syariah is to preserve lineage.
“We can no longer allow our thinking to be controlled by emotion and fear of reform, especially when our understanding of religion is incomplete,” he said.
The son of former PAS president Fadzil Noor added that rulers have a responsibility towards the public and so sex education needs to be implemented by the government as part of a comprehensive strategy to create a moral and prosperous civil society.
Separately, PKR Women’s deputy chief S Wasanthee said exposure to comprehensive sexual education at the school level can act as a catalyst in efforts to curb social issues, including child pregnancy.
She said Malaysia needs to develop a comprehensive sexual education curriculum—not just focused on sexual relations, but also covering self-care, character building, and religious and moral values.
“Malaysia must introduce a comprehensive sexual education curriculum in schools to raise teenagers’ awareness of reproductive health and the risks of early pregnancy.
“However, this doesn’t necessarily mean that sexual education must stand as a separate subject.
“What’s important is the inclusion of education on self-care, religious values, and character development—that’s what I mean by comprehensive,” the Hutan Melintang assemblyperson told Malaysiakini.
Further, Wasanthee, who is defending her party post in the upcoming PKR election, said efforts must also be supported by stronger family institutions, effective communication between parents and children, and better access to youth-friendly reproductive health services.
“Parents must play a key role in educating their children. The same goes for programmes and campaigns that stress the consequences of teenage pregnancy and the importance of making wise life decisions,” she added.
Smartphone addiction, moral decay
Kelantan deputy mufti Nik Abdul Kadir Nik Mohamad also linked smartphone addiction to the increase in child sex offences.
“Children today own smartphones and have easy access to social media. Many, without their parents knowing, view content involving sex and crime,” he was quoted as saying by Sinar Harian.
“They gather, chat, and browse social media together. They are easily influenced. This is a very dangerous situation.”
Nik Kadir stressed that the root of the problem lies in the lack of religious education and parental monitoring.
“Criminal cases can be reduced through proper school education and parental supervision. Parents must provide adequate religious teaching as a safeguard in the hereafter.
“Parents who prioritise Islam will raise children who understand and follow religious principles,” he said. - Mkni
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.