Ministry to discuss legal aspects of statutory rape with Nazri

UPDATED @ 12:12:55 AM 31-08-2012

August 31, 2012

 

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 30 — The Women, Family and Community Development Ministry is to have a discussion with Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Mohamad Nazri Abdul Aziz to scrutinise the legal aspects of statutory rape.

This was to ensure that victims were adequately protected and defended while offenders received the appropriate penalty, it said in a statement today.

The ministry said the family institution played an important role in preventing and tackling statutory rape among youths and, in this matter, parents must monitor the movement of their children for the sake of their future.

It said it respected the decision of the court in respect of the penalty meted out to two adult males found guilty of statutory rape recently.

"At the same time, the ministry views seriously public opinion which regarded the punishment imposed on the two men as light and not in accordance with the type of crime they committed," he said.

According to the ministry, as a state party to two international conventions ratified in 1995 — the Elimination of Discrimination against Women and the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) —
it was the duty of the government to protect women and children from any form of exploitation, violence and physical, mental, emotional and psychological abuse.  — Bernama