EARLIER this month, a 50-year-old English teacher at a primary school in Jerteh, Terrenganu, was detained for allegedly molesting three children at the school’s computer lab.

Serial child abuser Richard Huckle, 30, a British photographer suspected of abusing up to 200 children aged between 6 and 12 months during his stay in Malaysia from 2006 to 2014, had volunteered as an English teacher and at a church while insidiously targeting poor and marginalised communities.

Social activist Syed Azmi Al Habshi, who actively champions the prevention of child sexual abuse on social media, shared stories from Facebook followers of how students were sexually attacked by their peers in religious schools or maahad.

These cases highlight the fact that preventing child sex abuse requires strict scrutiny of child protection policies in schools and organisations that work with children and youth.

Director of the Archdiocesan Single Adults & Youth Office of the Roman Catholic Diocese, Bukit Nanas, Reverend Father Gregory Chan says child sexual abuse cuts across all boundaries and involves babies, preschoolers and primary and secondary school students.

“The Richard Huckle case exposed a lot of vulnerability and shortcomings in our system.

“There needs to be better screening and supervision of volunteers and pastoral workers when they are recruited to see how they interact with young people. I think that is very important.

“We are just beginning to learn about the modus operandi of sexual predators who usually hold positions of authority and can be a teacher or lecturer. But, I am not singling out the teaching profession.

“There are many people in positions of authority who could be sexual predators.”

Father Gregory has been tasked to increase awareness on child sexual abuse for the Catholic church. He attended an Episcopal Anglophone Safeguarding Conference in Rome in June at the Pontifical Gregorian University.

Awareness workshops to educate parents on the dangers of child sexual abuse is on his list of recommendations.

“Awareness is very important. We are beginning to understand a plethora of terms. Take for example, grooming, where the predator prepares the children to accept that what he or she is doing is normal or acceptable.

“(Sexual abuse) can also happen to a child when safeguards are lacking at home. Take for example, when parents place too much trust in caregivers and babysitters, who could be sexual abusers. We must be vigilant of tell-tale signs.

“Obviously, someone who works with children and youth must be passionate about young people. But, at the same time, they must have a purely platonic concern in the affairs of young people and harbour no sinister intent. They must also be of stable emotional health and maturity.”

Regardless of the nature of the organisation, he says, volunteers need to be watched and cannot be left to their own devices after being recruited.

“Meetings between employees, volunteers and students should be restricted to common areas where they dine or interact and where other people and students are present.

“It is important that volunteers and teachers not be granted access to students’ sleeping quarters unless in emergencies or where a student requires medical attention.

“Retreats and training camps for young people can be potential situations for sexual abuse, not only by employees, but also by their peers.

“We need to be alert to the signs. More than one adult should be accompanying these children and be on the lookout for such incidents. They should be trained to deal with such incidents, should they arise.”

Father Gregory said safeguarding principles that he learnt from the Rome conference was applied by the church for a Youth Day trip when 289 youth and 10 priests made a trip to Krakow, Poland, last month.

“The priests were placed in a convent, while the 289 young people were housed at a different location in a school.”

Within the church system, he says, he is recommending some measures, such as checks and balances for priests, employees and volunteers, to safeguard against abuse.

The measures include policies and guidelines on interactions between individuals, ensuring safe physical environments for children, responding to inappropriate behaviour, training staff about child sexual abuse and methods to deal with breaches in policy and allegations of child sexual abuse.

“Even for something like one-to-one counselling, it should be conducted in a way that inspires confidence. There should be transparency so that third parties can see what is going on, yet still respect confidentiality. Perhaps the rooms used for counselling can have glass doors and walls, yet be soundproof.”

Ustaz Shazly Khan, founder of the iMuslim Academy in Shah Alam, says he believes problems like rape, incest, paedophilia originate from society’s inability to discuss sexuality in a proper way.

“Sometimes, parents are not willing to discuss sex-related issues with their children. The children may look for their own answers, which can be the wrong ones.

“There needs to be more awareness on sexual abuse. As the expression goes, it takes a village to raise a child, so this requires a collective effort from all parties, including parents who have a big role to play.

“Educating and raising awareness among parents on how to not fall prey to tricks and scams that can endanger their children is also very important.

“Be wary of sending your children to get bogus cures from so-called religious people, like bomoh who are not authentic religious practitioners. If they can twist and turn the religion to suit their needs, they can easily commit sexual abuse.

“I do not deny that there can be spiritual disturbances affecting individuals, but if parents believe their child has this problem, seek help that follows proper Islamic religious practices, like ruqyah, which is the prophetic way of removing charms and evil possessions.

“The problem is that some people are not well-versed in their own religion and are easily conned.”

Shazly says families should keep their homes free from pornography, which he calls “the new drug” that youth are getting addicted to.

“There is a need to educate parents on its dangers and create more awareness to fight this drug of youths.

“They will become desensitised when they watch such things, which opens doors to more crimes.

“The perception of young men, who grow up to become husbands and fathers, towards women and children will change if we don’t keep the problem in check. These days, both men and women are addicted to pornography.”