Sexual violence against women, children on the rise

 

There were 687 child abuse cases last year, up from 545 cases in 2020. (File pic)

PETALING JAYA: Cases of sexual violence against women and children increased from 11,092 in 2020 to 12,890 last year, says Bukit Aman CID director Jalil Hassan.

Berita Harian reported him as saying the cases involved rape, molestation, incest, sexual harassment, sexual abuse, sexual communication with children, child abuse, child abandonment and domestic violence.

Jalil said rape cases increased from 1,378 in 2020 to 1,398 last year while there were 264 incest cases reported last year compared to 259 in 2020.

There were 865 molestation cases last year compared to 838 in 2020, 466 sexual violence cases last year (up from 378 in 2020), 687 child abuse cases (up from 545) and 6,540 domestic violence cases (up from 5,260).

“Around 80% of the domestic violence cases involve women while children make up the rest.

“Many factors contribute to the rise in sexual violence cases against women and children, including family issues, social media, use of gadgets, stress and economic factors,” he told reporters after inaugurating a children interview centre for the Kelantan CID at Pengkalan Chepa.

On Tuesday, Chief Justice Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat said there were a high number of sexual abuse cases, 59 in total, involving children in Kelantan last year.

Kelantan CID chief Nor Yhazid Idris, meanwhile, said Kelantan police had recorded statements from 74 children last year who were either victims of sexual abuse or witnesses in such cases.

Of the figure, 62 were girls while 12 were boys. - FMT