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Sexual and Reproductive Health of Adolescents and Youths in Malaysia
Little information about the perpetrators
is available. However data for
2000, 2001 and 2002 reveal that
6.4%, 6.6% and 7.4%, respectively, were
students. Thus there seems to have been
an increase in the number of adolescent
perpetrators. Findings indicate that the
rapist is often known to the victim, and
that many cases of rape occur, not in
isolated places, but in places assumed to
be safe by the victims, suggesting an
element of gullibility, and perhaps fear
among the victims. This is also a clear
indication of breach of trust, and
suggests that the number of cases
reported to the police is likely to be much
lower than actual incidence, since many
of the victims, especially the young,
would be coaxed or coerced into keeping
their silence. The fact that some
perpetrators of rape are young people
themselves, albeit not a very large
proportion, is in itself a reflection of
unhealthy behaviour among young
people.
Contrary to belief, only 20% of rapes
took place in isolated places and
67% took place in the home or buildings
(not hotels), places generally regarded as
safe by women. Using 1988 data, analysis
of the relationship of the perpetrator
and the rape survivor revealed that
16% were strangers and 8% were new
acquaintances. The rest of the survivors
knew the person who raped them, with
35% being colleagues or people from the
same village, 19% boyfriends, 13% were
cases of incest, 7% family members, and
another 8% employers, teachers or the
“Bomoh” (traditional medicine man).
Incest is defined as being raped by a
blood relative, and involves a severe
breach of trust. The impact is often longlasting.
Victims are often children and
the violation has often occurred over a
long period of time before being
reported. Victims are forced into silence
or, in some cases, made to take the blame.
Because the Royal Malaysian Police
classify suspects into specific categories,
it is not possible to differentiate a blood
relative from one who is related by
marriage. Incest is assumed to be more
serious than rape, not only from the
point of view of unhealthy familial
dynamics, but also the likelihood that it
can be perpetrated over a longer period
of time, especially if the girl is coaxed
or coerced into silence. Further, the
psychological effect of incest is more
severe than rape considering the family
relationships and the complexity of the
factors that lead to incest and help to
maintain it, including in many cases, the
role and knowledge of the victim’s
mother.
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