Awareness can prevent sexual crimes, says psychologist

PETALING JAYA: Most people will only take action against a sexual crime when it is far too late.

The child would already have experienced the violence, trauma and loss of innocence, says a psychologist.

Speaking to FMT, Dr Geshina Ayu Mat Saat said efforts to counter rape cases among children need to be more proactive instead of reactive.

This means putting a stop or at least making it more difficult for a sexual crime to occur in the first place.

“This means having a protective environment for children and empowering children and other family members to be safe via education and skills training on what to do.”

Geshina said statistics showed that more than 90% of rape cases involved offenders known to the victim.

So it is essential for children to be taught to identify and differentiate between non-sexual and sexual contact, according to their age and comprehension level.

The psychologist was referring to the 352 cases registered at the Special Criminal Court on sexual crimes against children since the court began operations on June 22, 2017 and until the end of last month.

According to a report in The Star, 77.8% or 274 cases have been disposed of, while 78 cases are ongoing in the court in Putrajaya.

In a separate report in The Star, Chief Registrar of the Federal Court Latifah Mohd Tahar said the court had created more awareness about sexual offences against children, leading to an increase in the number of people being charged.

The vast majority of offences tried in court were for carnal intercourse against the order of nature. Such offences comprise 80.3% of all cases.

Rape cases comprised 11.3%, followed by molest (6.9%) and incest (1.5%).

Geshina said the government and society can only do what can reasonably be done.

“The main responsibility is still with parents, guardians and families.

“They must ensure children are safe from becoming victims of sexual crimes, whether in the home or when out of the home.

“It is not enough to ask the offender to stop raping or molesting the child. There needs to be visible and concentrated efforts to protect children.”

She said the way forward in “proactive strategy” should focus on potential offenders or individuals who show early symptoms.

“Such individuals need to be educated with regards to the wrongness of what they intend to do,” she said.

P Sundramoorthy, an associate professor at Universiti Sains Malaysia, agrees wholeheartedly that children need to be taught how to identify those who approached them wrongly in a sexual way.

He added that potential offenders can come from any kind of group, including family, neighbours, friends and even similar age groups. The children may not be aware of their intentions.

“How do we ensure that children will not be victimised?

“We need to educate them so that the level of awareness is high.

“In a way, rape cases can be prevented.” -FMT