Our girls deserve protection, not punishment
Syerleena Abdul Rashid
Tuesday, 23 Sep 2025 5:37 PM MYT
SEPTEMBER 23 — I write this statement not just as a parliamentarian, but as a woman, as someone who cares deeply about the protection of our young, and as someone outraged that people in positions of authority can treat statutory rape—especially involving minors—with such callousness.
Recent remarks attributed to the Kelantan Police Chief—namely his suggestion that underage girls who consented to sex (i.e. in statutory rape cases) should themselves be punished—are beyond offensive; they are a betrayal of public duty. The idea that a victim—someone who by law is incapable of giving legal consent—should be penalised insultingly strips away the protection the law is meant to guarantee.
Tuesday, 23 Sep 2025 5:37 PM MYT
SEPTEMBER 23 — I write this statement not just as a parliamentarian, but as a woman, as someone who cares deeply about the protection of our young, and as someone outraged that people in positions of authority can treat statutory rape—especially involving minors—with such callousness.
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Recent remarks attributed to the Kelantan Police Chief—namely his suggestion that underage girls who consented to sex (i.e. in statutory rape cases) should themselves be punished—are beyond offensive; they are a betrayal of public duty. The idea that a victim—someone who by law is incapable of giving legal consent—should be penalised insultingly strips away the protection the law is meant to guarantee.
To clarify: Malaysian law is explicit. Sex with a minor under 16 is statutory rape, regardless of alleged “consent.” The law is not ambiguous here: minors are defined as being legally incapable of consent in this context. Any suggestion to punish them undermines the spirit of these laws, which exist precisely to prevent exploitation and abuse.
The suggestion that the law should be revised to punish these girls is as disturbing as it is wrong. To even contemplate criminalising a child—a statutory rape victim—for being exploited is a complete betrayal of the responsibilities entrusted to law enforcement. This does not reflect the role of a protector. It reflects the mindset of someone who sees compliance as guilt and silence as complicity.
We are not talking about girls who have committed crimes. We are talking about children—some as young as 12 or 13—who are being groomed, manipulated, coerced, or taken advantage of. Our responsibility is to safeguard them, not shame them.
Under Section statutory rape provisions of the Penal Code, any sexual intercourse with a minor under 16 is rape, regardless of consent. That is the law. It exists to protect vulnerable individuals from exploitation. For a senior police officer to appear to suggest otherwise is not only legally inaccurate but deeply irresponsible.
If the police are frustrated by rising cases of statutory rape, then the answer is better education, better enforcement, and better support systems—not turning victims into culprits. We should be having national conversations about comprehensive sex education, parental awareness, digital safety, and victim counselling—not punishment for children.
This episode has shown that there is a critical need for proper training within our enforcement agencies, especially at the leadership level, on issues of child protection, consent, and trauma-informed policing.
We must send a clear and united message: minors who are victims of statutory rape are not criminals. They are children in need of protection, support, and justice. As lawmakers, educators, parents, and citizens, we have a collective duty to uphold that principle.
We cannot allow outdated, harmful, or patriarchal interpretations of the law to endanger the very children it was designed to protect. If we fail to act decisively now, we risk normalising victim-blaming at an institutional level—and that is a line we must never cross.
*Syerleena Abdul Rashid is member of parliament for Bukit Bendera
The suggestion that the law should be revised to punish these girls is as disturbing as it is wrong. To even contemplate criminalising a child—a statutory rape victim—for being exploited is a complete betrayal of the responsibilities entrusted to law enforcement. This does not reflect the role of a protector. It reflects the mindset of someone who sees compliance as guilt and silence as complicity.
We are not talking about girls who have committed crimes. We are talking about children—some as young as 12 or 13—who are being groomed, manipulated, coerced, or taken advantage of. Our responsibility is to safeguard them, not shame them.
Under Section statutory rape provisions of the Penal Code, any sexual intercourse with a minor under 16 is rape, regardless of consent. That is the law. It exists to protect vulnerable individuals from exploitation. For a senior police officer to appear to suggest otherwise is not only legally inaccurate but deeply irresponsible.
If the police are frustrated by rising cases of statutory rape, then the answer is better education, better enforcement, and better support systems—not turning victims into culprits. We should be having national conversations about comprehensive sex education, parental awareness, digital safety, and victim counselling—not punishment for children.
This episode has shown that there is a critical need for proper training within our enforcement agencies, especially at the leadership level, on issues of child protection, consent, and trauma-informed policing.
We must send a clear and united message: minors who are victims of statutory rape are not criminals. They are children in need of protection, support, and justice. As lawmakers, educators, parents, and citizens, we have a collective duty to uphold that principle.
We cannot allow outdated, harmful, or patriarchal interpretations of the law to endanger the very children it was designed to protect. If we fail to act decisively now, we risk normalising victim-blaming at an institutional level—and that is a line we must never cross.
*Syerleena Abdul Rashid is member of parliament for Bukit Bendera
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