Malaysia is facing significant risks of social discord due to widespread misuse and a lack of self-regulation on the internet, exposing children to online child sexual exploitation and abuse (OCSEA). This includes threats such as live streaming of child abuse, cybersex trafficking, child grooming, and sextortion.
Datuk Dr. Amirudin Abdul Wahab, Chief Executive Officer of CyberSecurity Malaysia, emphasized that OCSEA is expected to become increasingly prevalent with the global expansion of technology. This technological shift has not only increased victims’ online exposure but also enhanced offenders’ ability to securely share OCSEA material and communicate anonymously with children and other perpetrators online.
“OCSEA is forecasted to be prevalent with the expansion of technology around the world, which has generated a paradigm shift in both the victims’ online exposure and the offender’s ability to share OCSEA material securely and communicate anonymously with children and other perpetrators online,” he stated in a recent interview with Bernama.
In response to this growing threat, CyberSecurity Malaysia has launched the Cyber Security Awareness for Everyone (CyberSAFE) programme. This initiative aims to educate and raise awareness about the technological and social issues facing internet users, particularly the dangers of being online. Dr. Amirudin explained that CyberSAFE helps individuals disseminate information, understand the importance of cyber security, and deliver messages about current cybersecurity issues. It also educates the public, especially targeted groups, on best practices for ethical and secure computer and internet use.
Additionally, CyberSecurity Malaysia conducts Cyber Security Awareness Talks (CSAT) for various age groups and demographics, as well as private and government sectors nationwide, to further spread awareness and knowledge about cyber security.
Moreover, Women, Family, and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri announced plans for her ministry to organize advocacy programmes against OCSEA threats at 300 schools across the country. This initiative is a response to increased requests from parent-teacher associations (PTAs) for more such programmes. She emphasized the importance of educating children on how to recognize and respond to OCSEA threats.
“This advocacy programme, which also involves the police and other agencies under the ministry, is to educate children so that they know what to do and what the procedures are, and to get them to learn more about the many forms of OCSEA,” she stated at a press conference during the YOKUK foundation’s ‘Building a Caring Society by Designing Joy’ book launch and 25th anniversary celebration.
Nancy Shukri acknowledged the need to educate children despite the discomfort of exposing them to these threats, as OCSEA has become increasingly prevalent in recent years.
According to researchers from the University of Edinburgh, as reported by international media, at least 300 million children fall victim to online sexual exploitation and abuse annually. The first global estimate of this crisis, published recently, revealed that one in eight (12.6 percent) of the world’s children experienced non-consensual taking, sharing, and exposure to sexual images and videos over the past year, affecting approximately 302 million young people globally.
Young Sok Fun is a content creator under the Newswav Creator programme, where you get to express yourself, be a citizen journalist, and at the same time monetize your content & reach millions of users on Newswav. Log in to creator.newswav.com and become a Newswav Creator now!
The User Content (as defined on Newswav Terms of Use) above including the views expressed and media (pictures, videos, citations etc) were submitted & posted by the author. Newswav is solely an aggregation platform that hosts the User Content. If you have any questions about the content, copyright or other issues of the work, please contact Newswav.