Waja Squad Registers Nearly 3,000 Members In Perlis To Combat Sexual Crimes

ARAU, Sept 2 (Bernama) -- Nearly 3,000 members of the Women’s Anti-Crime Squad (Waja Squad) have been registered in Perlis to date, serving as the ‘eyes and ears’ for the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) in efforts to tackle sexual crime cases.

Perlis Women Development Office director P. Kalai Kumar said the Waja Squad is made up of female volunteers aged 18 and above, who are trained to assist the community in becoming first informant to the authorities.

“One of the reasons for the continued rise in sexual crimes is that victims are afraid to lodge police reports,” he told reporters after the launch of a townhall session on ‘Sexual Crime: A Shared Responsibility’, officiated by Perlis deputy police chief SAC Baderulhisham Baharudin here today.

Kalai Kumar added that his office aims to increase the number of Waja Squad members by 1,000 this year to assist the authorities in combating sexual crimes.

Meanwhile, Baderulhisham, in his speech, mentioned that 32 sexual crime cases were reported in the state between January and June this year, involving students in primary and secondary schools as well as higher education institutions.

“Cases of incest, unnatural sex acts and sexual offences against children also involve secondary, primary and even kindergarten students,” he said.

He added that PDRM has implemented various programmes to curb sexual crimes involving children and teenagers, including awareness campaigns through social media platforms like Facebook and TikTok, as well as via radio, television and newspapers.

-- BERNAMA