The Dewan Negara on Thursday passed the Sexual Offences Against Children (Amendment) Bill 2026, expanding Malaysia’s legal jurisdiction to prosecute child sexual offences committed outside the country’s borders.
Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) M Kulasegaran said the amendment was necessary following a sharp rise in child sexual offence cases involving foreign nationals in Malaysia.
He said Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) statistics showed that reported cases increased by 117%, from 1,095 cases in 2021 to 2,385 cases last year.
The number of foreign suspects also rose from 67 in 2021 to 148 in 2025, with most of them being nationals of Indonesia, Bangladesh, Myanmar and Pakistan.
“Malaysia cannot rely on a limited jurisdictional framework. This amendment ensures that individuals with a substantial connection to Malaysia cannot evade legal action simply because the offence was committed outside the country,” he told the Dewan Negara while winding up the debate on the Bill.
Kulasegaran said the amendment would ensure Malaysia has sufficient legal authority to prosecute child sexual offenders with clear links to the country, even if the offences involve cross-border elements.
He also revealed that the Royal Malaysia Police has identified five key priorities in its digital forensic investigations to combat child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and AI-generated deepfake content involving child exploitation.
These include analysing AI models, examining system logs, tracing IP addresses and verifying data integrity using hash values to ensure the chain of digital evidence remains admissible in court.
“The primary objective is to establish a clear link between the digital content and the suspect through legally admissible digital evidence, reliable forensic analysis and an unbroken chain of custody,” he said.
Kulasegaran added that technological advancements, particularly artificial intelligence, have made child sexual offences increasingly sophisticated and capable of crossing national borders.
He said PDRM’s digital investigation strategy also includes the seizure and preservation of digital evidence, forensic examination of electronic devices, AI content analysis to detect deepfake images and videos, collection of supporting evidence such as telecommunications records and digital platform logs, as well as the preparation of expert forensic reports to support prosecutions.
Earlier, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said, when tabling the Bill for its second reading, said the amendment sends a clear message that Malaysia will not compromise with those who sexually exploit children.
She said although the Bill is concise, its impact is significant as it enables enforcement authorities to take action in circumstances that were previously not covered under existing legislation.
The Bill, which was passed by the Dewan Rakyat on 30 June, amends the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017 (Act 792) by extending its extraterritorial application to offences committed overseas where either the offender or the victim has a substantial connection to Malaysia.
