Malays less willing than non-Malays to accept child rape, says deputy minister
Jennifer Gomex, TMI
Malays make up the majority of underage rape victims because Muslim parents are unable to accept the idea of sex before marriage compared with non-Malay parents who are presumably less sensitive over the issue, Deputy Home Minister Datuk Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar (pic) said in Parliament today.
According to statistics, 80% or 1,147 of the 1,424 of statutory rape cases reported last year involved Malays. Statutory rape covers those aged below 16, regardless of whether it involved consensual sex.
In comparison, Chinese accounted for 4.3% (62 victims), Indians accounted for 2% (32) while other races made up about 13% (183).
This was consistent with the numbers for 2012, whereby out of the 1,243 underage rape victims, Malays accounted for 80%, Chinese 5%, Indians 3% while other races accounted for 12%.
Wan Junaidi said the statistics for the Malay community were higher than that of the other races because they were more inclined to lodge reports of teenage sex, whereas non-Muslims were possibly less sensitive over the issue.
“This is because Muslim parents cannot accept sex before marriage or babies born out of wedlock as it is against Islamic teachings,” he said in reply to a question from Che Mohamad Zulkifly Jusoh (Barisan Nasional-Setiu) on underage rape cases.
