KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 16 — An MP and a child rights activist have today urged Putrajaya to take steps to protect youths and spur the development of their moral values rather than merely judging them, amid outrage among some over online sugar daddy platform Sugarbook.
Segambut MP Hannah Yeoh and activist Syed Azmi Alhabshi said besides blocking access to the site, the government needs to also deal with the issue more strategically and effectively, as preventive measures are better than “curing” the issue.
“There are children and adolescents today who struggle with identity crises and have difficulty finding their purpose in life. This is the reality they face and as long as we deny this fact, they will continue to reach out in the dark.
“Religious practices without appreciation may not produce the results we want — but focusing on rebuilding and re-instilling moral values and cultures — instead of judging them — will greatly benefit the younger generation,” they said in a joint statement, while proposing a set of 10 steps to take.
Yeoh was the deputy women, family and community development minister, while Syed Azmi is a court adviser on child issues for the Kuala Lumpur courts.
They said that the creation of a Children’s Ministry with special provisions and permanent resources to protect the youth would greatly help develop their moral compass.
“This includes the provision of special assistance lines covering various languages for children and the strengthening of infrastructure for children with disabilities such as providing adequate therapists,” they said.
The addition of Child Protectors and Trained Child Protection Assistants should also be considered, they said, so that the Children’s Act 2001 can be enforced more effectively, especially in the aspect of protection.
“We should also look into improving the existing legislation for sexual crimes involving children — such as remanding perpetrators for three days to calm victims,” they added.
They are also urging the government to monitor the implementation of the National Strategic Plan to Address the Causes of Underage Marriage so that 58 programmes involving 61 Government agencies can run smoothly and on time until 2025.
They also urged the government to reassess the need for sex education in schools as government statistics show children’s involvement in sexual activities occurs as early as 12-years-old.
They added revamping marriage courses can help future parents become more effective in communicating with their children, as well as helping families going through issues like divorces, illegitimate children and unregistered marriages — especially for families who are financially strained.
The duo added that the government should hasten the elimination of syndicates and corrupt practices involving authorities such as the sale of methamphetamine and the trafficking of children and women.
“The government should also provide comprehensive and easily accessible rehabilitation and counselling programmes to help abused or traumatised children,” they said.
Recently, some in the government had set their sights on the Sugarbook application, following reports that it is allegedly used by tertiary institution students to look for sugar daddies to fund their lifestyle.
Calls for the ban of the application have come from several ministers, including Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department in charge of religious affairs, Datuk Ahmad Marzuk Shaary from Islamist party PAS.
The Ministry of Higher Education has since contacted several universities whose students are allegedly involved in the “sugar baby” activities, to obtain information on the validity of data.
