Kelantan sees growing number of underage rape & incest cases, 252 cases in 2024

Kelantan, Malaysia has seen an increase of rape and incest cases throughout 2024, drawing concerns as the victims and perpetrators are usually minors.

According to Bernama, the Kelantan Police Chief reported 252 cases in 2024, an increase from the 206 cases reported in 2023.

Berita Harian (BH) reported a 17.1 per cent increase in cases in the first quarter of 2025 compared to the same period in 2024.

"This reflects a deeply concerning shift in social norms," said the police chief.

According to Malaysia's Home Minister, Kelantan has the highest cases of underage rape, Malay Mail reported.

Distressing

The police chief noted that while they typically observe cases of men pursuing women, they are now seeing underage girls proactively initiating sexual contact, BH stated.

The chief described several cases that included a 10-year-old girl who initiated sexual relations with her 20-year-old uncle and a case between an 11-year-old boy and his 15-year-old cousin.

Both cases resulted in the girls becoming pregnant, BH added.

The police have also encountered a case where a teenage girl was involved with five different men.

The police chief said that investigations also revealed that 98 per cent of the cases involved consensual acts between minors.

The police chief pointed to family conflicts, parental neglect, underage love affairs, and easy access to pornographic materials as some factors that contribute to the cases, BH wrote.

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