Sexual abuse victims don't have to be in court

JOHOR BARU: The government plans to tighten laws on sexual crime and enhance penalties against offenders, Deputy Home Minister Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohamed said today.
It will also look into improving prosecution and court procedures, such as conducting trials without requiring the presence of the victims in court.
Under the current system, both the accused and victim must appear in court, but the government is looking at the possibility of emulating the United Kingdom which had in 2013 changed the laws on sexual abuse so that the victims need not be present at the trial of the accused persons.
"All agencies under the Home Ministry will have a meeting to discuss how to improve the prosecution procedure, including amending or drafting a new law, or enhance the penalties under the Penal Code," Nur Jazlan said.
"Sexual abuse has become a borderless crime in this internet age, we need to enhance the prosecution and the law," he told the media after handing out Ramadan goodies to 400 aid recipients of the Johor Baru Welfare Department here today.
Commenting on the case of British paedophile Richard Huckle, Nur Jazlan said due to religion and cultural factors, the victims may feel embarrassed to testify in court.
"Huckle had been doing this for years without anyone coming forward to lodge police reports because the culture of our people somehow puts the stigma or shame on the victims, and not the offenders," he said.
"So, the victims of sexual abuse may be unable to deal with it (testifying against the offender in court). Maybe there are weaknesses in our system," he said.
Meanwhile, the government will train more officers to increase surveillance on sexual crime-based websites, he said.
"We must create public awareness on paedophiles and encourage people to be more willing to come forward. Do not remain silent if you want to stop these criminals," he said.
Huckle was sentenced to life in prison by a London court last week after he pleaded guilty to sexually violating 23 children and babies in Malaysia and Cambodia from 2006 to 2014.
Deputy Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Noor Rashid Ibrahim told theSun last Thursday Malaysian police may seek Huckle's extradition to face trial for crimes against victims here, stressing that if Huckle committed any crimes here, he should face charges here.
Police are working closely with their British counterparts to ascertain the identities of Huckle's Malaysian victims.