Why are child sexual abuse cases high in Kelantan?

 

Early last month, home minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail revealed in Parliament that Muslim-led states had the highest number of underage rape cases, with Kelantan leading the way.

While disturbing, it is interesting too.

This is because these states are ruled by PAS which takes the moral high ground because all policies, laws and programmes in these states are infused with a large dose of Islam.

Before anyone gets me wrong, let me categorically state that I’m not making any imputation about Islam or any religion as I write this.

Even in drug cases, Kelantan is among the top. Kelantan, for instance, recorded the highest number of drug abuse cases handled by the courts among all states in 2022 – a total of 3,683 cases.

So, what’s going on here?

We often hear people advocate for more religion and moral lessons to curb cases of crime, especially those related to sexual abuse.

This call is made in almost all societies because it is felt that the disciplining process inherent in all religions will help people differentiate right from wrong more clearly.

In the case of Kelantan and the other PAS-ruled states it cannot be a lack of religious education or values.

Saifuddin’s revelation was actually a snap reply to Sik MP Ahmad Tarmizi Sulaiman’s claim that civil laws were unable to prevent underage sexual abuse and rape and, therefore, states should be allowed to enact stricter shariah laws to prevent these.

Referring to Bukit Aman CID chief Mohd Shuhaily Mohd Zain’s earlier statement that sex crimes in the country had increased by 11.8% or 202 cases last year, compared with 2022, Ahmad had said this was because civil laws had failed.

The PAS MP said shariah laws should be enacted in every state to prevent this from happening.

Saifuddin retorted: “Kelantan, Terengganu and Kedah… cases are going up whereas in Penang, it’s going down when you compare 2022 and 2023 statistics. He (Ahmad) brought this issue up in Parliament after watching the police CID chief’s interview.

“Well, if he looked at the numbers, they don’t lie… Kelantan has the highest number of cases and 98% of the population is Muslim.”

He said sexual offences covered a vast array of categories and that most of those committing these crimes were from the B40 group, the poor economic class.

“The crimes are being committed against their own family members, friends or relatives… that’s around 45%.

“So instead of pointing fingers claiming we’re not doing the right thing and crimes are being committed due to lax shariah laws… we should work together, try to conduct more outreach and education programmes,” he was quoted as saying.

On Jan 31, Bernama quoted Kelantan police chief Muhamad Zaki Harun as saying that Kelantan had 249 sexual offence cases in 2023, up 52 cases from 197 in 2022.

Giving details, he said: “Last year, there were 115 rape cases, 36 molest cases, 17 incest cases, eight sodomy cases and 73 cases involving sexual offences against children.

“In 2022, there were 85 rape cases, 14 incest cases, seven sodomy cases, 32 molestation cases, and 59 cases of sexual assault against children.”

Muhamad Zaki also said 154 cases involved victims aged 16 and below, compared with 117 cases in the same age group in 2022, and 78 rape cases involved minors under the age of 16 last year compared with 61 in 2022.

In March 2023, police said Kelantan had one of the highest numbers of sexual crime cases in the country and that about 80% of these involved children.

Even Chief Justice Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat was so concerned about the high number of sexual abuse cases involving children recorded in Kelantan that in March 2023 she called for greater protection for children.

Tengku Maimun had said 59 cases of sexual abuse involving children were registered at the Kota Bharu sessions court in 2022 compared with only 18 involving adults.

That’s not just alarming, it’s an urgent call for action, especially when we know that many sexual abuse cases – especially if they involve family members – go unreported.

Official figures, therefore, do not tell the whole story. How many of our children are actually suffering in silence?

Kelantan is also known for something else. I remember reading news reports which said those from Kelantan and Terengganu topped the list of Malaysians who watched porn.

As I said earlier, it cannot be a lack of religious education or moral values, as PAS-controlled states teach and enforce Islamic values.

In Kelantan, non-Muslim’s too are required to cover up at public places, even if they are in their own shops.

Most Malaysians will remember the furore that erupted after the Kota Bharu Municipal Council issued a compound notice to a 35-year-old non-Muslim business owner for being “indecently dressed” in her own shop. She was wearing a pair of shorts. However, probably for political reasons and the flak, the council later backed down and cancelled the compound notice.

PAS leaders and MPs very often bring up the way women dress and connect it to a lack of moral values or that it will arouse men’s passions or that it is not in line with Islamic values.

For instance, in June the same year, PAS MP Wan Razali Wan Nor called for a change in the dress code for nurses because, he said, their uniform was too tight and “show their body shape”.

One would think that with such strict laws, rules and dress codes, there will be few or no sexual abuse cases and only a smattering of crime and drug cases in Kelantan and other PAS-ruled states. But, sadly, this is not the case.

I’m sure measures that are being taken in other states to tackle crime, including sexual abuse, are also in place in Kelantan. And Kelantan has an added measure – more religion and morality police to enforce religious codes.

What then could be the reason?

Is it a case of repressed emotions? Is it a case of men here being more sexually active? Is it an absence of an environment that promotes sexual reproductive health education? Is it a case of too much emphasis on religion and morality? Or is it just an unfortunate coincidence?

If no detailed study has been done into the reasons why there are many cases of sexual abuse, especially in Kelantan, despite religious teachings and vigilance on the part of the local councils, it is time someone did so.

I am not implying that crime or sexual abuse happens only in Kelantan and nowhere else. It happens in other states too; as it does in other countries.

Unicef has warned that the rapid rise of digital technologies has introduced new forms of online harm while exacerbating the offline abuse of children, such as sexual abuse of very young children.

So, it can only get worse if we don’t act.

Unicef said a review of 217 studies found that 1 in 8 of the world’s children (12.7%) have been sexually abused before reaching the age of 18.

In fact, in some countries it’s much, much worse than in Malaysia. The World Health Organization estimated that up to 1 billion children aged 2–17 years had experienced physical, sexual, or emotional violence or neglect in 2021.

So sexual abuse of children is not unique to Kelantan or Malaysia.

But a specific study on Kelantan – given the fact that measures taken to control sexual abuse of children includes legal and religious/moral methods – could help the authorities identify and implement more effective measures not only in Kelantan but also in the rest of the country.

The goal should be to ensure that not even a single child undergoes the pain and trauma of sexual abuse. - FMT

The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.