STATEMENT BY
MR. ANG CHENG LIANG
LONG-TERM DELEGATE TO THE 77TH UNGA
PERMANENT MISSION OF MALAYSIA TO THE UNITED NATIONS
AT THE INTERACTIVE DIALOGUE SESSION WITH
MS. REEM ALSALEM
SPECIAL RAPPORTEUR ON VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN, ITS CAUSES AND CONSEQUENCES
4 OCTOBER 2022, NEW YORK
Mr. Chair,
Malaysia wishes to thank Special Rapporteur Reem Alsalem for her presentation, which addressed the issue of violence against women and girls in the digital context.
Mr. Chair,
In Malaysia, the issue of increased internet use, often without supervision, is discussed continues to be discussed at the National Council for Children Meeting chaired by the Minister of Women, Family and Community Development. Malaysia has undertaken various measures, including advocacy programmes for parents and children, in order to protect the safety of women and girls in online spaces. These programmes include:
(i) The “Click Wisely” campaign on online safety;
(ii) Putting in place reporting mechanisms through various channels to enable the public to provide information on pornographic and harmful content on the Internet;
(iii) Establishment of a dedicated division in the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM), namely; the Sexual, Women, and Child Investigation Division.
(iv) Blocking of pornography websites, including paedophile and child pornography websites;
(v) Encouraging parents and guardians to utilise parental tools in their mobile devices and gadgets to enable them to control their children’s internet use; and
(vi) Holding consultations on the need for new legislation, to strengthen and complement existing legislation on issues related to safety of women and girls in online spaces.
Our questions to the Special Rapporteur are as follows: First, how can international organisations support the efforts of governments in keeping pace with the ever-changing and evolving digital threats to women and children?
Second, how can we encourage private sector involvement in supporting the role of government to develop digital products to reduce online abuse while not compromising the safety of internet users?
I thank you.