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Underage girls who have consensual sex should also face legal action when their partners are charged with statutory rape, Kelantan police chief Yusoff Mamat has suggested.

He said his proposal is to send a clear warning to teenagers against being involved in sexual crimes.

He said nearly 90% of statutory rape cases reported in the state involve consent by both parties, “but the existing laws lean more towards prosecuting men only,” Sinar Harian quoted him as saying.

Jim Burton wrote: Sun Sep 21, 2025 6:36 pm https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/categ ... ensual-sex

Underage girls who have consensual sex should also face legal action when their partners are charged with statutory rape, Kelantan police chief Yusoff Mamat has suggested.

He said his proposal is to send a clear warning to teenagers against being involved in sexual crimes.

He said nearly 90% of statutory rape cases reported in the state involve consent by both parties, “but the existing laws lean more towards prosecuting men only,” Sinar Harian quoted him as saying.

Jim Burton wrote: Sun Sep 21, 2025 6:36 pm https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/categ ... ensual-sex

Underage girls who have consensual sex should also face legal action when their partners are charged with statutory rape, Kelantan police chief Yusoff Mamat has suggested.

He said his proposal is to send a clear warning to teenagers against being involved in sexual crimes.

He said nearly 90% of statutory rape cases reported in the state involve consent by both parties, “but the existing laws lean more towards prosecuting men only,” Sinar Harian quoted him as saying.

“Police officers like him bear a fundamental duty to defend and safeguard society, particularly the weak and law-abiding citizens, especially women, children and the vulnerable,” he said.

“How can this be achieved when the rape victim is also penalised together with the culprit?” Lim asked, describing the proposal as “not just misguided but [showing] a complete lack of sympathy, empathy and compassion for girls who are minors and victims of statutory rape”.

"Consent by a child is not real consent. It was shaped by immaturity, power imbalance or even fear.

"To suggest otherwise undermined the very protection that Islam and our legal system are meant to uphold for the most vulnerable.

“Let us be clear. A girl under 18 is not a sinner for being exploited. She is a child.

[...]

"She deserves knowledge, protection and justice, not the lash of the law. If we truly wanted to uphold justice and preserve the integrity of our faith, then let us direct our efforts to education, awareness and building a culture where our children are safe. Punishment without prevention betrays both justice and mercy,” she added.

[...]

“These children must be given the opportunity and space to learn from mistakes, recover and rebuild their lives without being burdened by long-term stigma or trauma,”

“The moment a child or ­teenager is involved, the law ­presumes vulnerability, and accurately so,” she added.

Wong said the police, as law enforcers, should ­protect the vulnerable and not revictimise them.

[...]

“These are not relationships of equals. They are predatory dynamics masked as consensual interaction,” she added.

[...]

“Instead of criminalising ­underage girls, which leaves them with lifelong stigma, we must focus on comprehensive ­education and preventive measures,” Wong added.

“It is grounded in the understanding that minors lack the psychological, cognitive and social maturity to make such decisions. The law does not merely assess consent; it is designed to prevent exploitation by adults wielding power, age or emotional manipulation,” he added.

Shukri stressed the need for parental involvement in cases of underage sex.

He also said it was crucial that social problems be addressed at the source, rather than only responding to them after such cases arose.

“Like the drug problem, the government spends heavily on enforcement, but we must also cultivate values and faith from the school onwards,” he said.

“This issue needs to be seen through the lens of children’s development in terms of emotion, cognition, social aspects and more.

“This can help them assess for themselves the consequences of their actions,” she said in a statement on Wednesday.

“Children who are blamed or punished for abuse often suffer severe psychological and social impacts. They may experience trauma-related mental health issues such as depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and intense feelings of shame, guilt and self-blame.

“Stigmatisation from family, peers, schools and religious communities can lead to social isolation. This environment may silence victims, preventing them from disclosing abuse and internalising the blame.

“This increases their risk of further exploitation and unhealthy relationships,”

According to reports in Guang Ming Daily, the three girls - aged eight, nine and 10 were lured into nude online chatting in exchange for money and free phone top-ups.

"Their parents discovered what they were doing and have lodged police reports.

"The first case involves an eight-year-old who was left under her grandmother's care while her parents were busy at work," said the Bandar Hilir assemblywoman.

She said the girl was found chatting naked on her mobile phone in exchange for money.

Another parent reported that his nine-year-old daughter had nude chats to get mobile phone top-ups.

"As for the 10-year-old girl, she did not even think there was anything wrong with it and even made some online videos for her 'boyfriend'," said Leng.

PETALING JAYA: Out of the 100 statutory rape cases recorded in Kedah so far this year, 91 involved teenagers engaging in consensual sex, says Kedah police chief Adzli Abu Shah.

Adzli said this was a worrying trend that required all parties to play their role in preventing teenagers engaging in sex, from parents to teachers and various government agencies.

Jim Burton wrote: Sun Nov 02, 2025 10:15 pmPETALING JAYA: Out of the 100 statutory rape cases recorded in Kedah so far this year, 91 involved teenagers engaging in consensual sex, says Kedah police chief Adzli Abu Shah.