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Malaysia to make public names of
sex offenders
18 October, 2007
Malaysia is planning to publish the
names of sex offenders, including
pedophiles, on the internet and in
newspapers in effort to “name and
shame” them.
The move has been prompted by the rape
and murder of an eight-year-old girl
in September 2007.
Malaysia’s Prime Minister Datuk Seri
Abdullah Ahmad Badawi had called for
the need to name and shame sex
offenders following the abduction and
murder of Nurin Jazlin Jazimin, who
was also sexually assaulted.
The Star newspaper quoted Malaysia’s
police chief Musa Hassan as saying
that Malaysia also plans to establish
a registry of the names and
photographs of sex offenders, and to
exchange lists of convicted offenders
with law enforcement agencies
worldwide.
At present, the United States,
Britain, New Zealand, and Australia
keep national registries of sex
offenders.
Musa Hassan argued that that “drastic
measures” were necessary because of an
increasing number of sex crimes,
especially involving children. He
added, “This proposal not only
involves pedophiles and rapists but
also those harassing women. We want
the public to know there are these
kinds of people in their surroundings
so that they can be alert and always
be on the lookout.”
He asked parents to be more
responsible towards their children and
not leave it to the authorities to
find solutions when problems arise.
Parents must know who their children’s
friends are and whether they are
involved in any unhealthy activity or
group of people like Mat Rempit.
Mat Rempit is a Malaysian term for an
individual who participates in illegal
street racing, usually involving
motorcycles or scooters. Some of them
ride their motorcycles in a dangerous
and haphazard manner for fun. Mat
Rempits usually travel in groups and
race in bustling city centers on
weekend nights. Of late, Mat Rempits
have been linked to gangsterism, gang
robbery, street fighting, vandalism,
theft, bullying, and rape.
The case of the rape and murder of
Nurin Jazlin Jazimin, whose battered
and emaciated body was found stuffed
in a sports bag a month after she
disappeared from a market near her
home, is still unsolved.
Nurin’s death had triggered calls from
children’s rights groups for harsher
sentences for sex offenders.
Musa Hassan told Malaysia’s official
news agency Bernama that the police
would also exchange information on
pedophiles, rapists, human
traffickers, and other criminals with
other law enforcement agencies within
Malaysia.
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