Social Media, Poor Supervision Primary Factors To Social Problems In Kelantan – Exco

KOTA BHARU, July 2 (Bernama) -- A primary factor contributing to the increase in social problems, including rape, in Kelantan is the lack of supervision and insufficient monitoring of social media usage by parents of teenagers.

State Welfare, Family and Women's Development Committee chairman Rohani Ibrahim said that in addition to peer influence, unrestricted access to unfiltered content is also viewed as contributing to negative behaviour among youth.

"Recently, a female student was raped by a man she met through a social media app after travelling a long distance to meet him.

"This issue (social problems) requires not only the involvement of the state government but also the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), which must take firm action to address the problem," she told reporters after a media event in conjunction with Karnival Rakyat held at the Kota Darul Naim Complex here today.

Kelantan police chief Datuk Mohd Yusoff Mamat previously had said that two 14-year-old female students travelled over 500 kilometres on a motorcycle from Tumpat, Kelantan, to Kulim, Kedah, to meet a man they had never met in person before.

He said the first meeting ended in tragedy when one girl alleged that a man in his 30s, whom she had met through a social media app, raped her.

Rohani said parents and guardians need to take a more proactive role in monitoring their children's activities, including setting time limits for gadget use and providing early education on digital safety.

"As for the state government, we have taken several initiatives to reduce social issues, including implementing the Rabbani Education Policy in Kelantan Islamic Foundation schools for some time now to instil good morals among students.

"In addition, we established the Mawaddah Centre in 2022 to run programmes involving Islamic teachings, such as guidelines on gender interaction. It also serves as a complaint centre for social issues. Last year, we resolved nearly 250 cases, including marital disputes, family conflicts and more," she said.

Meanwhile, she said the Karnival Rakyat will take place over four days, starting July 29, at Masjid Jamek Muhammadi, with approximately 10,000 visitors from Kelantan expected to participate in the event.

"We've planned various programmes such as awards for deserving individuals, and we're also aiming to set a Malaysia Book of Records achievement for the 'Program Jahit Kasih', which will involve 1,000 tailors," she added.

-- BERNAMA