KUALA LUMPUR, March 29 — Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said has tabled the Sexual Offences against Children 2017 (SOAC) (Act 792) amendment Bill for its second reading today.
The proposed law amendments tabled will address new online sexual-related threats to children due to the development of technology.
If the Bill is passed, it will among others criminalise livestream sex, and will make it a crime to threaten and extort a child by using sexual photos.
Azalina had earlier said that the proposed amendments to the SOAC will allow a sentence of 20 years in jail or a RM50,000 fine as the penalty for such an offence.
She also said the government will also propose a 10-year jail term for offenders of the proposed new offence of sexual extortion, where sexual images of a child is used to blackmail the child into sending money, more photos or videos, or to have sex with the perpetrator.
Apart from that, the proposed amendments will include new laws on offences relating to sexual performance by a child, and amendments to the term “child pornography” by replacing it with “child sexual abuse material”.
Other new sections proposed include empowering the court to make an order for payment of compensation to a child victim of any offence under the SOAC.
Currently, the provision relating to the order for payment of compensation to a victim of an offence and for the payment of the compensation has been provided in sections 426 and 432 of the Criminal Procedure Code respectively.
However, it is the intention of the government to introduce a specific provision for compensation under SOAC to better enhance the protection of child victims of sexual offences.
