Amendment to Communications Act introduces prison sentence for offences against children

KUALA LUMPUR: The Communications and Multimedia (Amendment) Bill 2024 proposes a provision for imprisonment of up to five years or a fine of RM500,000, or both, for offences committed against children under 18 years old.

The Bill, which seeks to amend the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 (Act 588), was tabled by Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil for first reading in the Dewan Rakyat today, with the second reading scheduled for the same parliamentary meeting.

According to the Blue Bill distributed in Parliament, Clause 91(c) proposes inserting a new subsection into Section 233 of the Act, prescribing higher and distinct penalties for offences against children under 18, which are classified as arrestable offences.

The new subsection also stipulates an additional fine of RM5,000 for each day or part of a day that the offence continues after conviction.

Clause 91(a)(i) of the Amendment Bill proposes replacing the word "obscene" with "grossly obscene" in Section 233(1), while Clause 91(a)(ii) aims to introduce a new offence under the same subsection concerning acts of fraud or deceit against any person.