SHAH ALAM, Nov 13 — A total of 387 cases of child abuse were recorded by the Selangor police from January to October, said state police chief Datuk Hussein Omar Khan.
He said 139 victims of the total were aged one and below, 96 were aged between two and five, and the rest were 18 years old and below.
“Childcare providers were the main perpetrators of these crimes, followed by biological parents, teachers and stepparents,” he said.
He made these comments to the press after officiating the second Child Interview Centre (CIC) under the Sexual, Abuse and Child Investigation Division of the Criminal Investigation Department at the Selangor police headquarters in Seksyen 11 police station today.
Hussein said police investigations found that most child abuse cases were caused by negligence, such as leaving babies or young children alone, which posed risks to the victims and led to neglect.
He also noted that there had been a trend of increasing reports of child abuse cases, partly due to growing awareness of violence against children among the public and various organisations.
“Some people are now coming forward and bravely making reports, thanks to numerous awareness programmes and initiatives by the Royal Malaysia Police in the community to provide information,” he said.
Regarding the second CIC, Hussein said RM180,000 had been allocated to refurbish existing premises at the Seksyen 11 police station for this purpose.
He said the establishment of the second CIC, which has been operational since March 5, was in response to the increasing number of child-related cases that require interviews each year, with an average of 400 to 500 cases annually.
“The establishment of this CIC takes into account the rising number of cases, with 875 children already interviewed this year alone, involving various cases such as abuse, neglect and sexual offences.
“Given current needs, we are also planning to expand this service. Both CIC facilities are currently located in Shah Alam, so there is a need to extend them to Kuala Selangor, Sabak Bernam, Hulu Selangor, or the southern part of the state,” he said.
Hussein also said that the first CIC, established in 2014 and located in Seksyen 7, serves the police districts (IPD) of South Klang, North Klang, Gombak, Shah Alam, Hulu Selangor, Kuala Selangor, Kajang and KLIA.
“The second CIC caters to the IPDs of Petaling Jaya, Subang Jaya, Sabak Bernam, Kuala Langat, Sungai Buloh, Sepang, Serdang and Ampang Jaya,” he added, noting that the centre conducts interviews with children under the age of 16, as referred by investigating officers from the 16 IPDs.
— Bernama
