PS the Children backs Budget 2027 digital safeguards, calls for transparent funding

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 12 — Child protection organization Protect & Save The Children Malaysia (PS the Children) has welcomed the child safety provisions in Budget 2027, but called for dedicated, transparent funding to ensure their implementation. The group praised the specific mention of online child sexual exploitation in the national budget, acknowledging that a child's digital access has become a main arena for abuse.

Key budget allocations encompass upgrading the police D11 division's Malaysia Internet Crime Against Children (MICAC) system with sophisticated analytics, expanding the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission's school safety programs, enforcing the Online Safety Act, and training 6,000 caregivers through a RM100 million matching grant.

To underscore the urgency, the group referenced police figures of 892 child sexual crime cases between January and October 2025, while an inter-agency study estimated that around 100,000 Malaysian adolescents aged 12 to 17 face online sexual exploitation each year, with half remaining unheard. Executive director Amnani Abdul Kadir cautioned that digital enforcement tools are merely a component of the solution.

However, she emphasized that technology cannot safeguard a child unaware that they are experiencing abuse, stressing that school prevention, accessible reporting mechanisms, and survivor recovery must receive equal funding importance. The group also urged the Malaysian government to publish specific child protection budget items, mandate digital safety education in schools, enforce platform responsibility, and strengthen mandatory background checks for all individuals working with children.