KUALA LUMPUR, June 1 — The Communications Ministry will soon launch the Online Safety for Children and Families campaign to address the issue of safety for this group in cyberspace, said its minister Fahmi Fadzil.
He said the campaign aims to combat child grooming through social media and to stop the issue of children under 13 years old registering for social media use, even though these platforms do not allow it.
"We understand that these platforms offer many benefits, but they also pose many risks.
"My hope is that with this campaign, we can gather all agencies, including the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM), Bank Negara, and Personal Data Protection Department, to emphasise the steps we need to take to ensure the safety of ourselves, children and families," he said at a press conference after launching the Kita Madani Carnival for the Federal Territories of Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya, here, today.
Fahmi said Bukit Aman's Sexual, Women and Child Investigations Division (D11) informed that the platform most misused for child grooming purposes is the WhatsApp application.
When asked about the issue of the supply of Local White Rice (BPT) following allegations that it is only available at Madani sales carnivals, Fahmi said the government does not control the supply, but has taken at least three steps to increase its quantity.
"One of them is that the government has modified the contract for agencies to purchase imported rice. This allows more than 20,000 tonnes of local rice to return to the local market.
"The reserve stock of local rice has also begun to be released and taken out of storage. This process takes time," he said.
He added that he would also forward the issue related to BPT to the Agriculture and Food Security Ministry (KPKM) so that appropriate actions can be taken.
Commenting on the organisation of the Kita Madani Carnival, Fahmi hopes that the carnival, which aims to convey government programmes to the people, can be continued in other states in an effort to bridge the communication gap.
— Bernama
