PKR deputy president Nurul Izzah Anwar wants the government to increase funding for Bukit Aman’s sexual, women and child investigations division (D11) under the 2026 federal budget.
She said the recent death of Form 1 student Zara Qairina Mahathir in Sabah and the attack on Pandan MP Rafizi Ramli’s son highlighted the urgent need to prioritise the safety of children.
“Protecting our children is no longer a fringe issue. It demands serious attention,” the former Permatang Pauh MP said in a Facebook post.
Nurul Izzah said the D11 unit, made up mostly of female officers, operated under tight constraints despite handling a growing number of disturbing cases of abuse, some involving infants as young as six months old.
She said she paid the unit a visit recently, where she found that officers only had four computers, all of which were outdated, at their disposal. Nurul Izzah added that the officers often have to review distressing evidence, including material circulated on the dark web.
“These officers are not ordinary people. Some are mothers and grandmothers, yet they endure hours of going through heartbreaking footage to bring perpetrators to justice.”
Nurul Izzah said she managed to purchase 10 new computers for the D11 with the support of donors, as well as refurbish the unit’s child-friendly interview room.
“However, more support is needed. I urge the government to provide specific funding for equipment, tools and personnel.
“We cannot let them fight this battle alone,” she said, warning that failure to do so could lead to more children becoming victims of abuse.
In November, the statistics department revealed that the number of reported sexual offences involving children rose by 26.5% in 2023 compared with the year before.
It said 1,567 cases of child sexual offences were recorded in 2023, up from 1,239 in 2022.
Physical sexual assault against children rose by 21.1% at 1,389 cases in 2023, while 91 cases of non-physical sexual assault and 67 cases involving child pornography offences were also recorded in the same year.
