Adzli said this was a worrying trend that required all parties to play their role in preventing teenagers engaging in sex, from parents to teachers and various government agencies.

He advised parents to exercise more oversight over their teenage children, especially when it comes to them leaving the homes late at night.

“We should go back to the days when neighbours were ‘busy bodies’. They used to look out for one another and weren’t afraid to question a minor wandering out late at night.

“I believe social ills like rape can be reduced if we revive that sense of care within our community,” he said.

Previously, Kelantan police chief Yusoff Mamat had suggested that underage girls who have consensual sex should also face legal action when their partners are charged with statutory rape.

Yusoff said nearly 90% of statutory rape cases reported in Kelantan involved consent by both parties, though the existing laws lean more towards prosecuting only the males.

Law and institutional reform minister Azalina Othman Said had shot down this proposal but later said laws on statutory rape involving consensual sex will be improved with a criminal law reform panel studying the matter in detail and proposing changes.