Last November, the media reported the case of a 35-year old man who raped his 11-year old sister-in-law while his 14-year old wife was forced to record the act on video. The man then tried to sell the video.
Last Monday, 28 December 2015, Segambut MP Lim Lip Eng exposed yet another rape case where a tuition teacher had repeatedly raped one of his students since she was 14 years old.
Statistics show that every 15 minutes in Malaysia, a woman becomes rape victim, every day 100 women were raped and half of the victims are girls below the age of 16!
As such, at a time when the government and the Royal Malaysian Police (PDRM) are worried about threats of ISIS and terrorism, it is clear that for women in Malaysia, the danger of being a victim of sexual crimes is greater and more immediate.
Nine years have passed, where is the Sexual Offenders Registration Bill?
I have on numerous occasion both inside and outside the Parliament urged the government to quickly implement the Sexual Offenders Registration Act. The last was during my parliamentary debate on the 2016 Budget on 30 November 2015. This Act should include mechanisms to filter and monitor those workers who are dealing directly in high risk situations with risk groups, for example children.
The suggestion for such an Act is not new. It was first brought up in 2007 by the PDRM themselves after the tragic case of Nurin Jazlin Jazimin whose body was found in a bag after she was brutally raped and murdered. The suggestion was then supported by the Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development. (Source: http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/73587)
In 2010, it was reported that the Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development and PDRM met to develop the framework and mechanism for the Act including monitoring procedures.
In 2011, the same Ministry was reported to have met PDRM for a second time to work on the details of the Act.
From 2007 until now, at the heel of 2016, nine years have passed, research upon research was done, various discussions and meetings took place, five Ministers have helmed the Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development while the Inspector-General of Police have changed three persons since, yet there is still no sight of the said Bill!
In her response to my parliamentary debate mentioned above, Deputy Minister of Women, Family and Community Development, Azizah Mohd Dun said that she has even visited the NYPD (New York Police Department) to study this matter.
Yet it was disappointing when the same Deputy Minister also told Parliament that the government has no intention to table the Bill.
The government only cares about creating draconian laws such as the NSC Act 2015
After nine years and again and again the nation was shocked by atrocious news of sexual crimes against women, the government seems to be taking this issue too lightly. The government is more interested in enacting draconian laws such as the National Security Council Act 2015 which was passed in a hurry in a “midnight sitting” of the Parliament on 3 December 2015. Before that, the NSC Act was not discussed whatsoever.
As such I want to urge the Prime Minister who was former the acting Minister for Women, Family and Community Development to prioritise the implementation of the Sexual Offenders Registration Act as well as reform the existing legal system to ensure a more effective curbing of sexual crimes. Whatever programmes for women empowerment will be rendered meaningless if women constantly live in fear of being victims of sexual crimes.