Secret online group sharing sexualised images of children, teens

KUALA LUMPUR: A clandestine social media group is reportedly collecting and sharing images of children and underage teenagers, sexualising them among members.
More disturbingly, the group also possesses collections of images of underage teenagers in school uniforms, said Siraj Jalil, president of the Malaysia Cyber Consumer Association (MCCA).
Siraj, who recently exposed the group, said it had been operating for a considerable time.
He added that membership is restricted to individuals identified as having similar "habits" and who are trusted by the administrators.
"The group exists on several platforms, including mainstream social media and digital communication applications like Telegram."
The group uses closed forums to exchange photos and videos of children, including those secretly recorded or uploaded without parental consent.
Siraj said the photos of children in school uniforms were subjected to obscene and disgusting comments.
He called for action against the group's administrators and urged social media platforms to detect, report, and block such groups.
"We cannot wait until victims suffer physical abuse or become victims of these people's perverse acts. The collection and dissemination of these images themselves are a serious form of exploitation," he said.
He also urged parents to be more vigilant about photos of their children shared online and to activate maximum privacy settings.
"MCCA is ready to cooperate with enforcement agencies, including the police and the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), to combat cybercrime activities targeting children."
Late last year, the police and MCMC conducted a series of coordinated raids across Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, Johor, Terengganu, Penang, and Perak.
The operation led to the arrest of 13 suspects and the seizure of 40,000 child sexual abuse materials (CSAM) and pornographic content from various devices.

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Digital wounds, lifelong scars

Child Sexual Abuse Material isn't just content – t's a crime that inflicts deep, lasting trauma JUST one hour. That's all it takes for an online predator to groom a child – convincing them to share personal details, including their location, and ultimately trapping them in a web of sexual abuse. In just 60 minutes, a predator can build trust through social media, using flattery, attention and deceitful promises to manipulate a young mind. Yet, many Malaysians remain unaware of the gravity of what's happening behind screens. Most of us have never even heard of the term Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM), let alone understand its devastating implications. CSAM isn't limited to explicit photos. It covers a wide range of disturbing content – videos, drawings, manipulated images, and any material that depicts or suggests the sexual exploitation of children. Lurking dangers In a 2024 global report by the Childlight Global Child Safety Institute, it was estimated that a staggering 300 million children around the world fall prey to CSAM every year. Behind that number are countless children whose lives have been deeply affected by online sexual abuse – receiving suggestive questions, being pushed to share images of themselves or their body parts or exposed to sexually explicit content involving other minors. According to THORN – a non-profit that develops technology to protect children from sexual abuse – children under the age of 12 are often the main targets in CSAM, especially in content that is shared among offenders. But teens aged 13-17 are also at risk with predators turning to sextortion – cruelly blackmailing them with the threat of exposing their most intimate moments unless they hand over more images or even money. 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Survivors live with the constant fear that someone, somewhere, is viewing their abuse, and the trauma is repeated every time a photo or video is opened, shared, or saved. 'Psychologically speaking, victims can struggle with severe anxiety, depression and symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD),' warns Chan. 'They may experience chronic shame and low self-worth, especially if they feel they've lost control over their identity – even more so if they know others can still access their abuse at any time,' she adds. Kempen Internet Selamat (KIS), an initiative by the Communications Ministry and Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), was launched to promote safer internet use and awareness of digital crimes, including CSAM. Even if CSAM was created in the past, its continued circulation online can keep the trauma alive, leaving victims feeling powerless and trapped in a relentless cycle of abuse. 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KIS will be carried out in primary and secondary schools, universities and colleges, teacher training institutes, and local community spaces like Digital Economy Centres. He notes that the deeply rooted taboo and stigma surrounding abuse often prevent open discussion – leading to under-reporting and obscuring the true scale of the issue. Amirudin also highlights a widespread lack of awareness about how seemingly innocent, everyday actions can put children at risk. 'There is a lack of sustained, targeted education that highlights the evolving risks, including how everyday actions like 'sharenting' (parents who share children's images online) can be misused by predators,' he explains. Everyone's responsibility 'I make it a point to ask my teens about the apps they're using, who they're talking to, and what kind of messages they're getting,' says homemaker P. Meena Kumari, whose children are aged 13 and 16. 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