NGO: 9-Year-Old Girl Youngest Mum In M'sia After Her Own Brother Raped Her
The number of cases involving teenage pregnancies has been on the rise in recent years.
By Sadho Ram — 07 Aug 2023, 05:59 PM
There has been a worrying increase in the number of teenage pregnancies in Malaysia, culminating in the country's youngest recorded case of a nine-year-old giving birth to a child, according to a Selangor-based NGO
The nine-year-old girl was sexually assaulted by her own brother, who was reportedly influenced by explicit pornographic videos, Yayasan Ikhlas chairperson Professor Dr Zainur Rashid Zainuddin told Sinar Harian.
He expressed concern over the increasing number of sexual exploitation of minors, while revealing that the case involving the nine-year-old victim occurred three years ago in Penang.
He said such cases previously involved teenagers aged between 17 and 18, but now include children as young as nine years old. Disturbingly, states like Negeri Sembilan and Terengganu have recorded cases of sexual exploitation involving 11-year-old children.
According to the professor, the rise in the number of such cases can be attributed partly to the pervasive influence of social media, as it provides easy access to explicit pornographic content
The Yayasan Ikhlas chairperson also said adolescent males between the ages of 13 and 16 are the most vulnerable as they are often exposed to pornography via messaging applications like WhatsApp and Telegram.
"Other factors include love and family conflicts, etc. I once handled a case involving a first-year student who was excellent in studies but raped a 14-year-old cousin. The incident came to light when the teenager was taken to the hospital due to stomach pain, which turned out to be labour pain," he shared.
"The family is financially disadvantaged; the mother sells pastries, and the father works two shifts. They have no time to supervise their child, and this is one of the reasons why such incidents occur," he explained.
"One out of 10 teenagers in this country has engaged in sexual relations before marriage," he said during the launch of the Reproductive and Sexual Health Education Module (ReproAlert) in Putrajaya recently.
To address the issue of underage sexual exploitation, a forum titled "Sexual Abuse and Assault: Are Our Children Safe?" was organised
During the forum, experts such as National Population and Family Development Board's (LPPKN) Dr Siti Nurhayati Adznan, University Putra Malaysia's (UPM) medical lecturer and pediatric expert Dr Nor Azyati Yusoff, Royal Malaysia Police' Women and Children Sexual Investigation Division (D11) ACP Siti Kamsiah Hassan, and lawyer Fatihah Jamhari emphasised the vital role parents play in safeguarding their children against sexual exploitation.
The experts and officials from various fields also emphasised the importance of open communication and spending quality time engaging in activities with their children as preventive measures.
If you or someone you know may be at risk or has experienced sexual abuse or assault, please reach out to these Malaysian organisations:
1. WOMEN'S AID ORGANISATION (WAO)
Operating hours: 24-hour
Contact: +603-30008858
SMS/WhatsApp: +6018-9888058
Website | Facebook | Twitter
2. ALL WOMEN'S ACTION SOCIETY (AWAM)
Operating hours: Monday to Friday (9.30am - 5.30pm)
Contact: +603-78770224
WhatsApp/Telegram: +6016-2284221 | +6016-2374221
Email: [email protected]
Website | Facebook | Twitter
3. WOMEN'S CENTRE FOR CHANGE PENANG (WCC PENANG)
Operating hours: Monday to Friday (9am - 5pm)
Contact: +604-2280342 | +604-3988340
WhatsApp: +6011-31084001 | +6016-4180342
Email: [email protected]
Website | Facebook | Twitter
4. SARAWAK WOMEN FOR WOMEN SOCIETY (SWWS)
Operating hours: Monday (7pm - 9pm),Tuesday to Thursday (9.30am - 11.30am), Saturday (2pm - 4pm)
Contact: +6082-368853
SMS/WhatsApp: +6016-5822660 | +6013-8044285
Email: [email protected]
Website | Facebook | Twitter
5. SABAH WOMEN'S ACTION-RESOURCE GROUP (SAWO)
Operating hours: Monday to Friday (9am - 5pm)
Contact: +6088-280200 | +6011-27908020
Email: [email protected]
Website | Facebook | Twitter
6. PROTECT AND SAVE THE CHILDREN (PS THE CHILDREN)
Operating hours: Monday to Friday (3pm - 12am)
WhatsApp: +6016-7213065
Email: [email protected]
Website | Facebook | Twitter
7. INTERNET WATCH FOUNDATION (IWF)
Anonymously and confidentially report child sexual abuse content and non-photographic child sexual abuse images with IWF's Reporting Portal.
