Closing the Loopholes: Malaysia's Fight Against Cross-Border Child Abuse

Child sexual exploitation is no longer confined by borders. Today, offenders can target victims across countries through online grooming, livestreaming, encrypted platforms, and image-based abuse. Malaysia has introduced amendments to the Sexual Offences Against Children Act that allows certain offences committed overseas to be prosecuted here-but what difference will they make? In this episode, our journalist Michelle Yap, speaks to criminologist UM Dr. Haezreena Begum about why these changes matter, the challenges investigators still face, and why protecting children requires more than stronger laws.