KUALA LUMPUR: All parents need to be aware of their important role in protecting children from cyber-paedophiles.
This is as child victims of sexual predators come from all walks of life, with the only similarities being that they have access to smartphones and the Internet, and are introverts.
Federal police Sexual, Women, and Children Crime Investigation Division (D11) principal assistant director Assistant Commissioner Siti Kamsiah Hassan said there was no one particular background when it came to victims.
"From the cases we have investigated, we learnt that children who were manipulated or sexually exploited online were not from any particular background. There are victims from well-to-do families as well as lower-income families.
"The obvious similarities we notice is that the victims all have access to handphones and the Internet. They are also mostly introverted and are lonely, with a small number of friends.
"In this kind of situation, the child becomes more vulnerable to being exposed to paedophiles or abusers online," she told the New Straits Times.
Siti Kamsiah said the lack of family values was more likely to be among the reasons a child might trust someone he or she met online.
"Parents play an important role in keeping an eye on their children's activities. Those days, danger was only when children went out of the house but now with technological advancements, the Internet and smartphones at hand, children are exposed to all sorts of threats.
"Parents need to be creative in their approach towards educating their children on what's good and what's not. They should teach them that there are limitations. When a person asks you to send a photo of yourself, what you can reveal and what not to reveal must be taught from young."
She said D11 and the units under it worked closely with the Multimedia and Communications Ministry, their counterparts in other countries, the Health Ministry, as well as non-governmental organisations involved in child protection to create awareness and stop Internet sexual crimes against children.
On whether laws in Malaysia are sufficient to tackle the growing threat, Siti Kamsiah said crimes against children, especially online sexual crimes, were among those with the heaviest penalties.
Child abusers can be jailed up to 30 years with caning, depending on the severity of the crime committed.
Siti Kamsiah said Malaysia had laws which were among the most stringent in the world in safeguarding children against exploitation and crimes, and were sufficient at present.
"Internet crimes against children, among others, are offences under the provisions of the Child Act 2001 and for now it is sufficient to keep our children safe."
She said besides technological advancements, criminals might adopt new ways to prey on their victims.
She said enforcement agencies must be prepared to match such changes.
"It is undeniable that we have strong laws. For instance, anyone found to have even one video recording of child pornography on their mobile phones (or in any other place) can be imprisoned for five years.
"Anyone found recording pornographic material can be jailed up to 30 years, if found guilty."
Siti Kamsiah said the Child Act 2001 provides children the most protection against predators, abuse, neglect, and sexual exploitation and crimes.
"Our law is not limited to only physical interaction, but also online and Internet-based interaction that can lead to grooming, exploitation and child sexual crimes. This gives us a very wide scope to protect our children from online predators."
Siti Kamsiah said one distinct difference between Malaysia and other countries was that Mal-aysian laws also provide for caning on top of jail sentences.
"We are known to be one of the few nations that still mete out caning on top of jail sentences for anyone who sexually exploits or causes harm to a child, whether online or physical."
