ANALITIK KESEDARAN MASYARAKAT TERHADAP ISU PENDERAAN KANAK-KANAK DAN CADANGAN KEWAJIPAN MELAPOR PENDERAAN KANAK-KANAK

ANALYTICS OF PUBLIC AWARENESS ON CHILD ABUSE ISSUES AND THE PROPOSED MANDATORY REPORTING OF CHILD ABUSE

Abstract

Isu penderaan kanak-kanak di Malaysia kian meruncing sehinggakan tempat yang sepatutnya selamat seperti rumah sendiri sering kali bertukar menjadi lokasi penganiayaan oleh individu terdekat. Walaupun instrumen perundangan seperti Akta Kanak-Kanak 2001 (Akta 611) telah menetapkan kewajipan melapor kepada golongan profesional tertentu, kekosongan undang-undang masih wujud kerana kewajipan ini belum diperluaskan secara menyeluruh kepada komuniti awam seperti guru dan jiran tetangga. Kajian ini dijalankan bagi memenuhi tiga objektif utama iaitu mengukur tahap kesedaran masyarakat awam dari sudut kognitif, afektif, dan tingkah laku terhadap penderaan serta saluran aduan Talian Kasih 15999; mengenal pasti faktor utama penyumbang penderaan berdasarkan persepsi masyarakat; dan menilai kelonggaran penguatkuasaan Akta 611 demi menyumbang kepada reformasi dasar pelaporan wajib. Bagi mencapai objektif tersebut, kajian ini mengaplikasikan metodologi hibrid dengan menggabungkan pengutipan data primer menerusi borang soal selidik Google Forms serta analisis data sekunder makro daripada pangkalan data Jabatan Kebajikan Masyarakat (JKM) dan portal OpenDOSM bagi tempoh 2022 hingga 2024. Data yang diperoleh kemudiannya diproses menggunakan perisian Microsoft Excel secara analisis deskriptif dan silang sebelum dizahirkan melalui visualisasi carta pai dan carta garis. Hasil analisis menunjukkan wujudnya jurang yang ketara antara pengetahuan teori masyarakat dengan kesediaan bertindak akibat halangan psikososial seperti ketakutan dan sikap tidak mahu menjaga tepi kain orang lain. Selain itu, unjuran kes dijangka memadat di kawasan bandar yang mempunyai kos sara hidup mencabar. Kajian ini merumuskan bahawa reformasi perundangan yang mewajibkan pelaporan bagi seluruh lapisan masyarakat amat mendesak demi membina ekosistem perlindungan kanak-kanak yang holistik dan utuh di Malaysia.

The issue of child abuse in Malaysia is becoming increasingly critical, to the extent that places supposed to be safe, like one's own home, frequently turn into locations of victimization by individuals closest to the victims. Although legal instruments such as the Child Act 2001 (Act 611) have established a statutory duty to report for certain professionals, a legal loophole still exists because this obligation has not been comprehensively extended to the general public, such as teachers and neighbours. This study is conducted to achieve three main objectives: to measure the level of public awareness from cognitive, affective, and behavioral dimensions regarding child abuse and the official Talian Kasih 15999 helpline; to identify the primary contributing factors of child abuse based on public perception; and to evaluate the enforcement leniency within Act 611 to contribute toward policy reform for mandatory reporting. To achieve these objectives, this study applies a hybrid methodology by combining primary data collection through a Google Forms online questionnaire and macro secondary data analysis from the Department of Social Welfare (JKM) database and the OpenDOSM portal for the period from 2022 to 2024. The obtained data is then processed using Microsoft Excel via descriptive and cross-tabulation analysis before being presented through visualizations of pie and line charts. The findings indicate that a significant gap exists between the public's theoretical knowledge and their readiness to act due to psychosocial barriers, such as fear and the cultural attitude of not wanting to interfere in others' business. Furthermore, the projection of cases is expected to concentrate in urban areas experiencing challenging living costs. This study concludes that legislative reform to mandate reporting for all segments of society is highly urgent in order to build a holistic and robust child protection ecosystem in Malaysia.