TUARAN: Thousands of children were born out of wedlock to underage mothers in Malaysia last year.
The nationwide statistics collected by the National Registration Department (JPN) showed that 4,992 illegitimate children were born to young mothers aged 18 and below in 2017.
There were also 120 reported cases of baby dumping in the same year and until June, 1664 children were born to underage mothers.
Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail said among factors leading to cases of illegitimate children and baby dumping were incest, child abuse, domestic violence, pre-marital sex and pornography.
Citing a 2016 research by the National Population and Family Development Board ( LPPKN) titled “Risk and Protective Factor Affecting Adolescent Sexual Behaviour in Sabah and Sarawak”, Dr Wan Azizah said exposure to pornographic materials increases the risk of teenagers to get involved in sexual activities.
“22% of sexually active students said they were influenced by their exposure to pornography,” she noted.
The Deputy Prime Minister said the alarming numbers highlighted the need for families to play bigger roles in preventing unhealthy activities from becoming prevalent among the younger generation.
Citing a report by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), Dr Wan Azizah said that the broadband penetration rate in Malaysian households had leaped from 76.9% in 2016, to 81.8% in 2018.
75.9% of Malaysians owned smartphones in 2017 compared to 68.7% in 2016, while 76.9% of the popular have used the Internet.
“We cannot deny that electronic gadgets are used as the main medium of communication in this era.
“However, unregulated use of gadgets can have negative implications on consumers especially children, who might abuse the devices in the absence of parental supervision,” she said.
Dr Wan Azizah said to nip this problem in the bud, her ministry will be expanding the Smart Cyber Family campaign to raise awareness about the importance of regulating the use of gadgets as well as surfing the internet responsibly.
“This programme should involve all stakeholders including individuals, government agencies, corporate bodies, local communities and non-governmental organisations.
“The responsibility of preventing uanhealthy activities should be shouldered together by the Government, community, service providers, parents, teachers and the children themselves,” she said in her speech at the launching of the “Sekeluarga Tolak Pornografi” seminar at the Kent Teacher’s Training College here on Sunday (July 22).
Also present at the launch was Sabah Deputy Chief Minister Christina Liew and state Deputy Finance Minister Kenny Chua.
Source : The Star
