K'tan cops want girls in 'consensual' statutory rape cases charged too

Summary

• Kelantan police chief Yusoff Mamat proposes that girls in statutory rape cases also face charges, arguing that most cases are consensual.

• He says he will discuss this with the Attorney-General’s Chambers, the Kelantan Islamic Religious Affairs Department, and other relevant parties.

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Kelantan police chief Yusoff Mamat has suggested that girls involved in statutory rape cases should be charged alongside the adult male perpetrator.

He argued for the consideration of his proposal by saying nearly 90 percent of statutory rape cases are consensual, based on investigations.

“The law is more geared towards prosecuting men only, while investigations have found that in many cases, both parties are willing.

“When a report is made, we still have to open an investigation paper and charge the man according to the Penal Code or the Child Act, even if there is an admission that it was done consensually,” Sinar Harian quoted Yusoff (above) as telling a press conference at the Kelantan police headquarters today.

Yusoff was commenting on the increase in rape and other sex crimes in the state.

Child sexual grooming

Last year, Bukit Aman’s Sexual, Women and Child Investigation Division principal assistant director Siti Kamsiah Hassan said the increase in statutory rape is believed to be due to grooming on social media.

The sexual grooming of children occurs when an adult gains a vulnerable child's trust to make way for a sexual relationship.

Siti Kamsiah told Bernama that the majority of statutory rape victims told investigating officers that they got to know the perpetrator over social media before meeting them in person.

“This shows that these girls have undergone the grooming phase with greetings of ‘hi’ and words of praise, which leads to the girls sending nude photos.

“This is followed by the meeting phase, which results in these girls being raped, including by gangs,” she said.

Seeking effective measures

Commenting further, Yusoff said he would discuss the proposal with the Attorney-General's Chambers, Kelantan Islamic Religious Affairs Department, and relevant parties to ensure fairer action.

“We do not want to prosecute arbitrarily, but rather want to find more effective ways of prevention.

“If the law allows action to be taken against both parties, cases like this can be curbed,” he added.

Yusoff said underage sexual offences are investigated under Section 376 of the Penal Code for rape and Section 14 of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017, with girls usually protected as victims.

He asserted that the proposal is to provide a clear message to teenagers, ensuring that they do not get involved in such acts.

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