PETALING JAYA: More Malaysian children are slipping through the cracks as victims of neglect, abuse and abandonment as families buckle under growing social and economic strain.
Child rights activist Datuk Dr Hartini Zainudin said the rising figures are a worrying sign of family stress and societal breakdown.
She was commenting on data from the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) in its latest Children Statistics 2025 report, which stated that cases involving children requiring care and protection increased by 12.7% to 9,624 cases in 2024, compared with the previous year.
The report added that the increase was more pronounced among boys, with cases increasing by 15.2% last year.
"Many families are struggling with poverty, mental health pressures, and fractured support systems.
"Neglect and violence often emerge when parents are overwhelmed or isolated. We need to move upstream, strengthen early intervention, parenting support, and community-based services to keep children safe at home before a crisis hits," said Dr Hartini.
She emphasised the need for more male role models and counsellors to provide boys with empathy and guidance.
"Child protection must be gender-responsive, with safe spaces, mentoring and counselling that address trauma and emotional well-being, not just discipline," she said.
Consultant paediatrician and child advocate Datuk Dr Amar Singh HSS said underreporting of abuse and neglect cases among boys remains a challenge.
"International studies have shown that the underreporting of abuse among boys is a well-recognised issue, especially in relation to sexual abuse.
"Boys are less likely to disclose abuse due to stigma, shame and societal masculine norms," he said.
Dr Amar emphasised the need for a comprehensive prevention programme, including child rights education, online safety awareness, positive parenting support, and public campaigns to recognise and report abuse cases.
"Any single child abused is one too many. While better reporting is positive, it should not stop us from pursuing stronger detection and prevention programmes," Dr Amar said.
However, he cautioned that the figures represent only reported cases, not the true prevalence of abuse in the country.
"We need to recognise that these are reported numbers, not prevalence numbers.
"The real number of children in need of care and protection in 2025 exceeds 900,000, using DOSM's figure of 9.03 million children under 18 and a minimum 10% sexual abuse rate," he said.
He added that the increase likely reflects more awareness rather than an actual rise in abuse.
"The rise seen in the 2024 data is probably due to better public awareness and governmental agency detection, not a real increase in numbers in the community.
"This is to be expected with the increased media attention that abused children have received recently," he explained.