RECENTLY, I had a chat with my young adult daughter about the experience of sexual abuse reported by a 15-year-old girl on a YouTube channel.
I asked my daughter a simple question, “If you were in her shoes, what would you expect to happen?”.
This is what she said:
- Immediately investigate the accused, regardless of police reporting.
- When a child reports something like that, believe her.
- Parents assume that children know nothing (but we know a lot more than you think).
- Children should be encouraged to speak, not shut down.
- If she can’t speak to a family member about it, someone else should.
- She’s a child! She may think she knows what she’s doing but she wouldn’t truly understand the consequences.
My take on this is: when a child speaks, who listens? When a child makes an accusation, who believes?
A child doesn’t lie about sexual abuse. It is the court’s responsibility to determine otherwise.
Therefore, when the perpetrator is a family member, the repercussions of reporting are multifold; without external interventions, the child is trapped under the same roof as the perpetrator and their vulnerability heightens.
We have a problem and let’s not sweep it under the carpet: sexual crimes against children are abhorrent.
I, therefore, support the Joint Action Group (JAG) for Gender Equality’s statement on Sept 9, 2022, where it raised similar concerns regarding the act of silencing victims of sexual crimes.
What now of our newly passed Anti-Sexual Harassment Act 2021, the Child Act 2001 or the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017? What kind of messaging and precedent are we setting?
Using religion to protect sexual predators?
Using religion especially to create fear, shame and an obligation to protect the reputation of sexual predators is against every rule of protective laws for children in this country.
No amount of reputation laundering can erase the trauma experienced by any victim, especially a child victim of sexual violence or harassment, nor the consequences of being called a liar when it matters most.
If patriarchy persists at the highest level, compounded with toxic masculine values, what hope do we have for victims of sexual crimes, especially vulnerable children? The system is failing them.
Just as there are many ways a perpetrator can commit their crimes, there are many ways for victims to seek justice too. The criminal justice system isn’t the only way out and our system certainly is not one that is perfect.
When it comes to children, it is a different playing field. There is no point in having laws without proper enforcement and support systems in place.
We have the Suspected Child Abuse and Neglect (SCAN) teams, One-Stop Crises Centres (OSCC), D11 (Sexual, Children and Women Investigation) division, child interview centres and special courts for sexual crimes against children but the resources invested in these platforms remain inadequate.
Time to walk the talk
In July 2022, the Parliamentary Special Select Committee (PSSC) on Women, Children Affairs and Social Development tabled a four-year roadmap in Parliament to strengthen support for child victims and witnesses in the criminal justice system.
One of our key recommendations is allowing children to have better access to support and assistance throughout the criminal justice process (Strategy 3).
The strategy includes a new model for the management and delivery of comprehensive Witness Support Services (WSS) for children, which is to upgrade the existing OSCCs to full-fledged WSS centres that provide medical, psycho-social and legal services as well as the space to collect video recording for oral evidence from the witnesses of sexual crimes.
This is based on the Barnahaus model which is globally recognised as an evidence-based approach to a child-friendly, multi-disciplinary and integrated service model for children who are victims of sexual violence.
We have yet to receive feedback from the executive on our proposed roadmap. Perhaps the best gift for our children on World Children’s Day this Nov 20, 2022, would be the Government’s commitment to adopt the suggested roadmap.
Last but not least, after 65 years of Merdeka, the citizens of this nation should not be debating on maruah keluarga in any instance of child abuse. – Sept 10, 2022
Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said is the UMNO MP for Pengerang and chairwoman of the Parliamentary Special Select Committee (PSSC) on Women, Children Affairs and Social Development.
The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Focus Malaysia.
Main photo credit: Youth Kiawaaz
