KUALA LUMPUR: The activity of downloading and sharing of content involving sexual exploitation of children or child sexual abuse material remains a concern despite showing a downward trend over the past two years.

       Bukit Aman’s Sexual, Women, and Child Investigation Division (D11) principal assistant director Senior Asst Comm Siti Kamsiah Hassan said 808 instances of downloading such content were detected in January and February.

       "The figure is the total identified downloading activities and does not refer to the number of perpetrators as it is possible for one individual to download content multiple times,” she said in a recent interview.

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       According to SAC Siti Kamsiah, police detected a drop in the activity, with 41,096 instances in 2022 and 33,692 last year.

       She said said D11 is developing a data bank to curb such activities, including storing information on incidents in the country and conducting awareness campaigns through talks and exhibitions.

       She said from 2021 to last year, police opened 139 investigation papers involving cases of child sexual abuse materials under the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017.

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       Meanwhile, she said cases of sexual abuse, child abuse and domestic abuse are increasing every year, particularly involving rape, sexual assault, and unnatural intercourse, adding that from 2021 until last year, 38,424 crimes against children and women were recorded nationwide, with the highest being domestic violence cases at 19,487.

       "This is followed by rape cases at 4,277, physical sexual assault at 3,455 cases, outraging of modesty (2,698), missing children (2,257) and child abuse (1,878),” she added. – Bernama