A public uproar followed when it was revealed that a 17-year-old girl was allegedly gang raped by nine soldiers at a popular hotel in Kluang last December. On 16 January this year, the victim attempted suicide before lodging a police report several days later.
The nine male suspects were then handed over to investigators at the Kluang district police headquarters by the Mahkota Camp’s military police corps, and shall be under remand for seven days until 1 March 2018.
What followed was another shocking revelation that the victim was already nine weeks pregnant, as reported on 25 February.
I am deeply saddened to hear of this news, and condemn the criminal acts. I call upon the relevant authorities to thoroughly investigate this incident.
In Malaysia there were 29,698 rape cases reported between 2006 and 2015 (see chart). This translates to 8 rape cases each day, on average. Based on research, many more cases go unreported.
What has failed our women?
Many victims fear social stigma and therefore prefer to remain silent. The culture of victim-blaming causes fear and shame to victims.
It is therefore crucial to provide the right support system and better reporting mechanisms. I urge the Ministry of Home Affairs, through the police, and the Ministry of Health, through hospitals to strengthen the reporting mechanisms, to ensure that the victims feel safe throughout the process.
The very low conviction rate of 7% is also a deterrent for victims to come forward. Malaysian law on rape is lopsided and lacklustre in protecting victims’ rights. The system makes it difficult to secure convictions, for instance the burden of proof is on the victim to show an absence of consent.
The Ministry must take serious action to address the lacks in the system that lead to under-reporting of rape.