In addition, said the NGO, the authorities must also reveal the efforts taken to protect the victims and prevent future similar crimes. “Any attempt at downplaying the seriousness of these crimes must not be tolerated, particularly since the victims are from a segment of society that’s vulnerable and largely voiceless.”
Sexual abuse of any person was not a private matter to be dealt with privately, but a matter of national concern, added LFL Legal/Campaign Coordinator Melissa Sasidaran in the statement. “We call upon the authorities to conduct immediate and serious investigations on these crimes.”
“They should come up with better preventive mechanisms in order to ensure a safer environment for children.”
LFL has repeatedly called upon the authorities to focus on tackling serious crimes on the Internet. “Nothing was more serious than sexual crimes against minors,” it said. “We again urge the authorities to refocus their resources on tackling real crimes.”
Instead, they are more concerned with policing social media users over frivolous comments, even going so far as to apprehend critics at sea.
LFL was expressing shock at news reports of Huckle currently undergoing sentencing hearing in the UK over charges of sexually abusing children, many of them believed to be from poor communities in Kuala Lumpur.
It was reported, noted LFL, that Huckle was believed to have abused up to 200 children between 2006 and 2014. He has admitted to over 70 offences of sexual abuse of children between the ages of 6 months and 12 years.
It’s disturbing that sexual abuses against minors of such magnitude took place for several years in our own backyard, lamented Sasidaran. “They remained either undetected or unstopped by authorities.”
The high number of Huckle’s victims and the extent of his crimes in Malaysia raises serious questions as to whether the authorities were really in the dark over these abuses, she charged. “There would have been warning signs or complaints from the victims and family members, churches, NGOs or hospitals.”
It’s quite shocking that the authorities do not appear to have any knowledge of Huckle’s extensive crimes in Malaysia, continued the LFL statement. “He was reportedly under surveillance for some time by the UK and Australian authorities due to his extensive exploitative postings on the Internet.”
Since the victims were largely Malaysians, it could be that there was no cooperation at all between international law enforcement agencies and the police over such serious crimes, said Sasidaran. “He was only arrested when he returned to the UK.”