SHAH ALAM – The trend of online child sexual exploitation crimes in the country is showing an alarming increase, with more than 1.47 million digital files related to child sexual abuse material (CSAM) detected through four major operations conducted from 2024 until April this year.
Based on a comparison of data from Op Pedo 1.0, Operation Cyber Guardian 2025, Op Pedo 2.0 and Operation Cyber Guardian 2026, a total of 117 individuals were arrested involving 162 raid locations nationwide.
Throughout the operations, authorities seized 272 digital devices, including mobile phones, computers and hard drives believed to have been used to store and distribute CSAM.
The most significant increase was recorded during Op Pedo 2.0 in September 2025, when more than 880,000 digital files were discovered — nearly 20 times higher than Op Pedo 1.0, which recorded around 40,000 files in December 2024.
Operation Cyber Guardian 2026 saw a larger operational scale involving cooperation among seven countries, including Singapore, Thailand, Brunei, Hong Kong, South Korea and Japan.
Through the operation, 69 arrests were made across 101 locations, with 498,694 digital files detected, including 204,934 verified CSAM.
Inspector-General of Police Datuk Seri Mohd Khalid Ismail was previously reported as saying that the integrated operation proved child sexual exploitation syndicates are now operating across borders and using digital platforms in a more organised manner.
He said investigations found that most suspects used social media applications, instant messaging platforms and dark web networks to obtain and distribute child pornography materials.
Op Pedo 2.0 also revealed the involvement of youths, with six minors among the 31 individuals arrested during the operation.
Media reports previously revealed that a 17-year-old teenage boy was believed to have earned tens of thousands of ringgit through the sale of child sexual exploitation material via the Telegram application.
Meanwhile, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission stated that it had detected a large amount of child sexual exploitation content on social media platforms since last year.
Meanwhile, Protect and Save the Children executive director Amnani A. Kadir said children are facing silent threats of pedophilia and sexual exploitation as offenders can easily approach victims online.
She said borderless digital platforms allow anyone to connect, including when children are alone in their rooms.
“In the past, access to children was limited to people brought into the home by parents.
“But now anyone can approach them through mobile phones and digital platforms,” she told Sinar.
Amnani added that among the platforms frequently used are online games and social media before offenders move conversations to more private chat applications.
She said perpetrators usually try to build relationships with victims first before asking for pictures or personal information.
“They use various methods, including offering gifts, video game credits, emotional attention and praise so that children feel appreciated and special,” she said.
More worryingly, she said offenders later manipulate victims’ images using artificial intelligence (AI) technology to create obscene content as blackmail material.
Amnani said victims are then extorted into sending more pictures, money or meeting the offenders physically.
“Some offenders threaten to spread the pictures to parents or on social media if victims refuse to follow their instructions, causing children to become frightened and panic,” she added.
She stressed that society must understand that offenders are not limited to adult men, but may also involve women and peers.
According to her, there have been cases involving women believed to have used the trust and position given by families to exploit children.
Amnani also shared a case involving a female domestic helper who used a mobile phone to sexually exploit her employer’s child.
“She would record and livestream indecent acts involving the child to a group of pedophiles watching from around the world.
“The child was only around two to three years old, and the offender used games and singing as grooming techniques,” she said.
She also revealed cases involving teenagers who became victims of grooming before being influenced into producing and selling explicit material of themselves.
Amnani stressed that the government must strengthen digital safety education and internet literacy to help children understand the risks of sexual exploitation and cybercrime.
She said enforcement of the Online Safety Act 2025 (Onsa 2025) could improve protection for users, especially children.
“Social media platform operators must be held accountable instead of merely pursuing profits,” she said.
Children afraid of being scolded if they speak up
In the latest development, Amnani said sexual abuse and grooming cases involving children have shown an increase over the past 10 years.
She added that reported cases involve serious abuse, including physical injuries and teenage pregnancies.
“Children who are targeted are usually from vulnerable groups, such as those who are lonely, lacking attention, from troubled families or with divorced parents,” she said.
Amnani explained that grooming does not happen spontaneously but takes a long time before offenders successfully gain control over victims by offering various rewards.
She revealed that many parents fail to detect the early signs of grooming and instead tend to blame their own children.
“The biggest problem is when children open up, they are scolded and blamed. Some parents say, ‘How could you not know?’, ‘Why did you go there?’ and so on.
“Such reactions cause many children to choose to remain silent even though they are victims,” she said.