01/08/2025

FRIDAY | AUG 1, 2025

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COMMENT by Haezreena Begum Abdul Hamid

Closing legal gaps in virtual child abuse D IGITAL paedophilia refers to the sexual exploitation of children in virtual spaces, through tools like artificial intelligence, deepfakes, cartoons and virtual reality.

What makes this even more dangerous is that it is easy to access, share and hard to trace. The perpetrators hide behind screens, usernames and encrypted platforms and yet, the damage is far from virtual. Malaysia has made commendable strides with the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017, the Penal Code and the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998, all of which provide mechanisms to combat traditional forms of child sexual abuse, including live-streamed exploitation. However, these laws still fall short when it comes to digital creations. Many of these materials are not technically illegal under current definitions of CSAM because no real child was involved in their creation. But does that make them any less harmful? I would argue not. These depictions, no matter how “virtual”, are created with the intent of sexualising minors and should be recognised as forms of child sexual exploitation. Other countries have taken this step. The UK, Canada and Australia have criminalised virtual child pornography, recognising that a legal definition limited only to real, identifiable victims is inadequate in the face of emerging technology. Therefore, Malaysia must consider doing the same. The harms of digital paedophilia are not hypothetical. Every day, images of real children – often taken innocently by their parents and shared online – are stolen, manipulated and repurposed into sexual content. This is a profound violation of dignity, privacy and safety. These children may never know what was done to their image but the psychological and reputational damage can be lifelong. Unlike Denmark, which recognises an individual’s legal right to their own image and personal likeness through robust copyright and data protection laws, Malaysia currently lacks explicit legal provisions that grant individuals, particularly children, ownership and control over the use of their personal images.

“The harms of digital paedophilia are not hypothetical. Every day, images of real children – often taken innocently by their parents and shared online – are stolen, manipulated and repurposed into sexual content. This is a profound violation of dignity, privacy and safety.

These images may be digitally generated and the children portrayed may not even exist in real life. Yet, the intent is exploitative, the gratification it feeds is criminal and the harm it causes individually and socially is undeniable. While this form of abuse does not always involve contact with a child, it normalises the sexualisation of minors, perpetuates a dangerous fantasy and fuels demand in underground networks. As a criminologist, I have seen how, what initially began as “just digital content”, has the potential to desensitise consumers and eventually lead to real world offending. It systematically erodes the legal, ethical and societal safeguards established to protect the rights and dignity of children. This threat is amplified by the pervasive culture of online sharing. Many individuals, including parents, are drawn to posting their daily lives on social media, treating platforms like Facebook and TikTok as digital diaries. While these platforms foster connection and self-expression, they also expose users, particularly children, to serious risks. It is disturbingly easy to download images from Facebook and extract videos from TikTok, even without the content owner’s knowledge or consent. Once uploaded, these digital footprints can be stolen, altered and weaponised for exploitation. Digital paedophilia can take many forms, for instance: AI-generated child sexual abuse material (CSAM) that mimics realistic children in sexual scenarios; deepfakes that superimpose children’s faces – often taken from social media – onto adult bodies in explicit content; illustrated pornography, such as hentai or lolicon , that sexualises underage characters; and virtual reality simulations that allow users to act out child abuse fantasies in immersive settings.

Many individuals, including parents, are drawn to posting their daily lives on social media platforms, which can expose users, particularly children, to serious risks. – BERNAMAPIC

oversharing online and how personal images can be misused. Every policy, investigation and reform effort must place the child at the centre, not merely as a legal category, but as a human being deserving of dignity, protection and justice. In addition, Malaysia must strengthen its cooperation with global agencies such as Interpol, Aseanapol and other cross-border cybercrime task forces to effectively track offenders and dismantle transnational networks. Digital paedophilia sits at the intersection of technological progress and moral regression. As AI and virtual reality continue to advance, so too does the capacity to simulate harm, commodify children and conceal abuse behind layers of code. But just because the abuse is virtual does not mean it is any less real. The law must evolve to meet this challenge because every child, whether real or digitally represented, deserves to be safe from sexual exploitation. Dr Haezreena Begum Abdul Hamid is a criminologist and senior lecturer at the Faculty of Law, University of Malaya. Comments: letters@thesundaily.com their own path. But make sure they know the consequences for their choices are theirs to bear. Wise decisions will earn them more freedom and opportunity but unwise choices will cause them to lose privileges until trust is earned. Children will only grow into maturity if they learn to exercise self-control and to take responsibility for themselves. That will only happen if we parents gradually take our hands off the choices our children make and give them a chance to be accountable for their own actions. This article is contributed by Focus on the Family Malaysia, a non-profit organisation dedicated to supporting and strengthening the family unit. It provides a myriad of programmes and resources, including professional counselling services, to the community. For more information, visit family.org.my. Comments: letters@thesundaily.com

This legal vacuum leaves Malaysian children especially vulnerable to digital exploitation, with limited recourse or protection under current frameworks. Moreover, digital abuse fuels cognitive distortions in those with paedophilic tendencies. Studies show that repeated exposure to virtual CSAM lowers inhibition, increases desensitisation and can serve as a gateway to contact offences. As a society, we cannot afford to wait until a physical child is harmed to institute any action. The damage begins long before that. Therefore, an effective and urgent response is required. This includes amending existing laws to explicitly cover digitally created and AI generated child sexual abuse material. We must criminalise intent and impact, not just physical involvement. Social media platforms, app developers and AI companies must also be held accountable for detecting, reporting and removing exploitative content. Technological innovation must not come at the expense of child safety. Digital literacy should no longer be seen as optional. Parents, children and educators must be equipped with the knowledge to understand the risks of

UNDER ONE ROOF

Navigating old relationships with care Q: Is it appropriate to reconnect with a former boyfriend on social media? While browsing online, I came across an old boyfriend from my college days. We have not been in touch for years and I am curious about how his life has turned out. I love my husband and our relationship is strong, so I don’t see this as a threat to my marriage. Any advice? careful about exposing your relationship to threats of any kind, no matter how remote they may seem. Honestly evaluate your motives and discuss them with your husband before deciding together. If you choose to go ahead and friend your old flame, make sure your social media account intentionally reflects your healthy marriage. This will prevent your friend request from being interpreted in the wrong way.

Q: Our sons are six and four years old. Like all parents, we want to raise them to be mature and responsible children. However, we are not sure how to go about it. Any suggestions? Focus on the Family Malaysia: Maturity and responsibility are all about self-control. Some parents believe they can instil that into children by sheer force of will. In other words, by making them behave. Mums and dads can exert their authority and try to force their children to act a certain way, and at times, this may be necessary with young children. But overpowering your children’s wills as a primary parenting strategy is not the way they are going to learn self control. As your children grow, the focus should increasingly be on helping them learn how to choose between wise and unwise decisions. The way they do that is by experiencing the consequences of their actions. Clearly lay out your expectations, then allow them to choose

Focus on the Family Malaysia: Ironically, this is easier to address in the case of a troubled marriage. The more difficulty a couple is experiencing, the more obvious it should be that outside temptations or intrusions are not okay. In situations like that, the answer is a definite no. Even when the marriage is strong, as you have indicated, the risks still far outweigh any potential benefits. For that reason, we would advise you to talk this over with your husband at length before you decide anything. Your marriage is worth protecting. So be

It is also important to consider what impact your actions may have on your old boyfriend’s relationship with his wife. While your marriage may be strong enough to accommodate a reestablishment of this friendship, your innocent overture could introduce a source of marital difficulty for them. Connecting with old friends via social media can bring opportunities to share how you have respectively grown and flourished since you went your separate ways. But it can also get tricky if it introduces tension, suspicion or jealousy, and that is just not worth it.