KRYSS Network, the All Women’s Action Society, and the Women’s Aid Organisation said such policies were necessary to prevent sexual misconduct and to take appropriate action against individuals who put women and girls at risk.

“As Asean chair in 2025, Malaysia must take the lead in strengthening the Asean Guide on AI Governance and Ethics, particularly in areas related to accountability and the integrity of developers and users,” they said in a joint statement.

The NGOs said Malaysia could model its laws after legislation in countries such as South Korea, Australia, and members of the European Union.

South Korea, for instance, not only criminalises the possession and distribution of deepfake content but also mandates state support for victims and the swift removal of such materials.

Australia, meanwhile, imposes prison terms of up to seven years for AI-generated explicit content, although the NGOs noted that the current laws apply only to adults.

On Saturday, Johor police chief M Kumar said 22 reports had been filed on the case which took place at a private secondary school.

In that case, AI-edited images of female students taken from social media photos were circulated and sold online.

The suspect was believed to have sold the edited images for as little as RM2 each.

“Alarmingly, the youngest victim is said to have been just 12 or 13 years old,” the NGOs said, warning that the images could have been viewed thousands of times.

“This multiplier effect worsens the long-term trauma of tech-facilitated gender-based violence, particularly against girls and women.”

The NGOs also called on educators, parents, and policymakers to adopt a “survivor-centric” approach when it comes to counselling and advocating justice for the victims.