Kuala Lumpur, 12th August 2025 - The government is intensifying efforts to safeguard children from sexual crimes through legislative improvements and more comprehensive implementation strategies.
These include amendments to the Sexual Offences Against Children Act, the expansion of special criminal courts and ongoing training for legal officers, said Thiyagu Ganesan, deputy director-general (Legal Reform Sector) of the
Legal Affairs Division (BHEUU) under the Prime Minister's Department.
He said several key amendments were made to the Act in 2023, which include replacing the term ‘child pornography’ with ‘child sexual abuse material’, introducing new offences such as the livestreaming of sexual crimes and sexual extortion, and mandating compensation for victims.
“Additionally the government has recently passed the Online Safety Act, which places the responsibility on digital platforms to remove child sexual abuse content.
“It also introduces the safety by-design concept to ensure a safer online environment for children,” he said during an interview on Bernama TV's Apa Khabar Malaysia programme yesterday, as reported by Bernama.
Read further on The Star’s article attached.