Kelantan police chief Yusoff Mamat said while the cases were predominantly consensual, sexual activity among minors was illegal. (Bernama pic)
PETALING JAYA: Kelantan police say they are concerned about the rising cases of underage sex, some of which involve girls as young as 10 years old.
A Berita Harian report quoted Kelantan police chief Yusoff Mamat as saying that girls as young as 10 and boys as young as 11 had been found to be engaging in sexual relationships, with several cases resulting in pregnancies.
He also said the authorities had encountered a case where a teenage girl was involved with five different men.
Yusoff said that while 98% of the reported cases were consensual, sexual activity among minors was illegal.
He said there were 206 cases of underage sex reported in the state in 2023 and 252 last year, adding that there had been a 17% spike in the first quarter of this year compared with the same period last year.
“This reflects a deeply concerning shift in social norms,” said Yusoff.
“While traditionally we have noted cases of men pursuing women, we’re now observing underage girls initiating sexual contact.”
He said one case involved a 10-year-old girl initiating relations with her 20-year-old uncle, and another saw a 11-year-old boy engaging in sexual relations with his 15-year-old cousin. Both cases resulted in pregnancies.
Yusoff said police found that these cases stemmed primarily from family conflicts and parental neglect.
He said romantic relationships at young ages, inadequate religious guidance, peer pressure and substance abuse also contributed to these incidents.
Yusoff said they found, from seized mobile devices, that minors regularly stored and exchanged explicit material, with some sharing nude photographs just weeks after meeting new acquaintances.
He also said he was concerned by some parents’ complacent attitude, noting that some families knowingly allowed their daughters to have their boyfriends over to spend the night.
The state police chief urged parents to assume greater responsibility by monitoring their children’s digital activities and interpersonal relationships.
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