APRIL 11 ― After attracting unnecessary global attention, thanks to the infamous Doraemon tips, we thought that the Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development would call it quits.

But lo and behold, the guardian of women and champion of children in Malaysia has downplayed the abuse and violence that happening in our country during this pandemic.

On April 4, the ministry invested its precious time publishing an official statement trivialising domestic violence. There were two salient points in the statement.

First, the ministry iterated that the 57 per cent increase in calls made to Talian Kasih was made up of varied calls for assistance such as the Covid-19 inquiries and counselling cases.

Second, the ministry assures us it is indeed taking seriously all the calls made regarding domestic violence and child abuse.

But sadly, that’s about it.

Even though the ministry did not deny that women and children are being abused within closed doors during the movement control order (MCO), there was no assurance given that help will be given and made accessible.

Instead, society is now at fault for misinterpreting the data regarding Talian Kasih.

This is a shame since it is the duty of the ministry to provide a clear breakdown of the calls for us to understand the gravity of the situation that is happening right now.

We need to know if there are calls from children, beaten wives or even fathers who cannot afford to bring food to the table so that we can help these families.

It is perplexing for the ministry to invest time on a statement that paints a message of refusal to admit the occurrence of domestic violence.

The ministry should highlight that domestic violence is happening right now and they are there to help.

NGOs in Malaysia are receiving calls and emails on domestic abuse, yet the ministry is not ready to acknowledge this pressing calamity. This blatant denial shows how the ministry is downplaying abuse happening in homes.

MCO is a challenging period. Stress level is increasing, families are struggling to make ends meet and some are facing more abuse at home than ever.

Children are the most vulnerable groups during times of quarantine because they have no escape. Schools are closed, teachers and friends are far away and some may not have the privilege of a phone with good internet connection.

How do we ensure that our children are indeed safe in their "safe haven” if the predators are living with them?

Our children in Malaysia are safeguarded by the Sexual Offences Against Children Act that came into force on July 10, 2017. Child rapists and molesters are prosecuted under this Act and can face more than 10 years of imprisonment and strokes of the rotan.

As daunting and traumatising as it is, statistics have shown that most predators are known and closely related to the victims themselves.

Therefore, the legislative body has taken a much needed step by enacting section 16 under this Act. This section criminalises predators who are in a relationship of trust with a child.

A person carries a duty of trust based on his position in the child’s life, be it a father, a teacher or even a public servant entrusted to protect children.

The law acknowledges the acute trauma that may impact a child who is abused by someone he or she trusts. Hence, this provision protects our children by deterring incestutous offences within a family unit.

 If a person who is in a relationship of trust with a child is found guilty under this Act, he or she may be sentenced to a maximum of 20 years of imprisonment and fine under any other section of the act.

On top of that, he or she shall receive an addition of punishment of five years of imprisonment and shall be punished with whipping not less than two strokes on top of the first punishment.

This shows the gravity of the offence committed by people who betray the trust given by children.

In 2019, a man faced three different charges for sexually molesting his stepdaughter. For each of the charges, he was sentenced to seven years of imprisonment and three strokes of the rotan.

In total, he was imprisoned for 21 years and given nine strokes of the rotan.

However, given that he was the stepfather of the child, he was sentenced an additional 18 months and two strokes of the rotan for each of the charges.

In conclusion, he received 22 years and six months of imprisonment and 15 strokes of the rotan in total.

It is worth highlighting that this Act does not discriminate the gender of the offender. In the year of 2018, a mother was charged under the Child Act 2001 and under section 16 of the Act.

The High Court of Malaya upheld the decision of  75 years of imprisonment that was delivered by the Sessions Court. This shows that the judiciary is serious in deterring sexual offences committed by persons that the children trust.

"Stay home,” they say. But not all homes are safe and court cases have proven this.

It is not a myth, it is not an exaggeration, and for sure it is not a false alarm. Our ministries must not take this lightly and have to start consolidating efforts between relevant agencies to prevent unwanted abuse.

Helplines must be made accessible to all children of different socio-economic backgrounds for their own protection. More airtime on prevention against domestic violence and child sexual abuse should be given so that people know that there are platforms for help out there.

If the Ministry of Health and Defence Ministry can make it a point to send text messages on Covid-19 alerts to each Malaysian out there, the women's ministry should also push for these important announcements to be spread like wildfire.

The 2014 Ebola outbreak caused unwanted pregnancies to spike due to young girls being trapped at home.

Do we allow history to repeat itself, or are we willing to get out of our comfort zone and start acting proactively instead of reacting?

* Firzana Redzuan and Ezreen Rahman are members of a youth advocacy NGO called Monsters Among Us: Youth Advocates (MAU) that combats child sexual abuse in Malaysia.

** This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of Malay Mail.