More than 90% of young people aged 13 to 17 say they want Sex Education to help protect themselves from sexual abuse. This came from a poll of over 1,000 teens across Malaysia. The survey found:
- 1 in 5 teens think it’s OK or maybe OK to date someone they met online
- Over half (53%) say teens are being pressured into sex
- In Johor, Kedah and Penang, 65% of girls feel this pressure – compared to only 30% of boys.
The results were gathered during the #SayaSayangSaya townhalls held in eight states: Johor, Kedah, Kelantan, Pahang, Penang, Sabah, Sarawak and Terengganu.
What is #SayaSayangSaya?
The #SayaSayangSaya campaign is all about self-respect. It gave 1,500 teens from 316 schools a safe space to talk about:
- Healthy relationships
- Online dating
- Sexual abuse and digital threats
It also pushed for age-appropriate and quality reproductive health education in schools — something young people say they really need.
Children need sex education to be safe
“Teens told us they’re under pressure – from peers, online chats, even at home,” said UNICEF Malaysia Representative, Ms. Marianne Clark-Hattingh. “They want guidance. They want to know how to protect themselves.”
She added that issues like teen pregnancies, baby dumping, and child marriages often happen because no one teaches teens about sex or relationships – not at school, not even at home.
The problem is getting worse
Between 2012 and 2016, over 5,000 child sexual abuse cases were reported in Malaysia. In 2016 alone, there were 824 cases.
Clearly, the problem isn’t going away.
Protect children online too
Mr. Philip Ling, Digi’s Programme Manager, said the findings prove that kids need to build digital resiliency. They need to know how to handle sexting, pornography, and cybergrooming.
“And to do that,” he said, “we need quality Sex Education in schools. They need to know the risks — and how to handle them with confidence.”
Louder than ever: Schools must teach this
“All the sessions showed us one thing – children want reproductive health education in school,” said Ms. Low Ngai Yuen, President of WOMEN:girls.
The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child had already told Malaysia back in 2007: Teens have the right to proper sexual and reproductive health education. It should include lessons on what makes a healthy relationship – respect, trust, support, equality.
Laws help, but they’re not enough
Yes, The Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017 was passed to protect children. It covers crimes like cybergrooming.
But laws alone won’t stop abuse.
“We need education. We need awareness. That’s what we’re doing with #SayaSayangSaya,” said Mr. Ian Yee, Deputy Executive Editor of R.AGE.
Working together to protect teens
The townhalls were a joint effort by UNICEF, Digi, R.AGE, and WOMEN:girls, with support from the Royal Malaysia Police and FRHAM.
Together, they’re showing us what teens already know:
Sex Education keeps children safe. Let’s listen to them.
