By Yasmin Ramlan
SHAH ALAM, July 6 — Selangor will hold seminars to educate teenagers about puberty and safe sex, as part of new initiatives introduced in the First Selangor Plan (RS-1) mid-term review.
State executive councillor for women empowerment and welfare Anfaal Saari said the programme aims to protect children from physical and online threats, and equipping them with knowledge about sexual health.
“Allowing children to face such threats without adequate knowledge is akin to sending soldiers into battle without weapons,” she told Selangor Journal yesterday.
Anfaal said various approaches will be taken to introduce sex education in the state, including by promoting it to students at every school level, centring contraception and infectious diseases.
An integrated sex education awareness campaign will also be launched on social media platforms in collaboration with federal, state and local governments, as well as non-governmental organisations.
She said sex education has become a focus following the Bukit Aman Criminal Investigation Department’s revelation that 146 sexual offences against children were recorded in Selangor last year.
In January, the federal government said the number of child victims in sexual crime cases rose to 6,990 from 2017 to 2023. Last year alone, 1,570 sexual offences were reported nationwide, with 110 cases involving children aged under six.
[caption id="attachment_362863" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]
State executive councillor for women empowerment and welfare Anfaal Saari speaks during an interview with Media Selangor at the Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah building, Shah Alam, on June 28, 2024. — Picture by FIKRI YUSOF/SELANGORKINI[/caption]
Anfaal expressed concern that many more such cases involving children are not being reported.
“Therefore, the state government aims to protect children from sexual harassment, particularly sexual abuse.
“In this digital age, children have easy access to all kinds of information, including sensitive topics like sex, especially on social media platforms, where pornography is prevalent.
“Without proper education, children lack the knowledge and understanding to parse the information they receive.”
Anfaal said sex education initiatives under the RS-1 are related to the Selangor Child Development Policy 2022-2025, which focuses on kids’ physical health.
According to the RS-1 mid-term review report released on Thursday, sex education is among two dozen projects, programmes, and initiatives outlined for the education sector.
Among the other initiatives are the Selangor School Assistance Programme to repair school infrastructure, the ongoing Selangor People’s Tutoring Programme, the Form Six Sponsorship Programme, and Basic University Fee Assistance.
These key initiatives cover primary to tertiary students.
