September 9, 2025
PETALING JAYA – It all started when Anis was taken away by her biological father and exposed to pornography and gambling at the tender age of two.
Alleging that her eldest daughter was molested by her ex-husband’s friend, homemaker Siti, 38, from Kuala Lumpur, believes the traumatic experience was what led Anis to become promiscuous and to misbehave.
“I fought to get her back but when she finally came back to me at the age of five, the damage was already done,” Siti told The Star.
Now aged 15, Anis has become a blackmail victim after she shared explicit content of herself to older boys and men who would pay her via e-wallet for the material.
GRAPHICS: THE STAR
From a very early age, Anis was very sociable, hanging out with bad hats and getting kicked out of school, Siti shared.
“She would end up getting into trouble, dating older boys, stealing and misbehaving, no matter which school, hostel or private institution I put her in. When she was 12, she was caught masturbating by the school.
“I have tried spending more time with her. I even took her to the hospital but she refused therapy and medication,” she said, adding that when Anis was sent to a Welfare Department rehabilitation home, she became suicidal and demanded to leave.
Siti said Anis soon spiralled out of control, having sugar daddies showering her with gifts and money.
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“Anis joined Telegram groups that promote promiscuity and was chatting up boys and older men on TikTok.
“These groups are localised, so it is easier to meet and hook up.
“Some of her older boyfriends also groomed her, resulting in sexual relationships.
“They would videocall Anis, asking her to go into the bathroom where they would record the entire conversation,” she said.
Whenever Siti uncovered something troubling, a confrontation would ensue, resulting in Anis lashing out and running away.
Siti believes Anis, who ran away again in December last year, is able to survive away from home because of the money she gets from the boys and sugar daddies.
“She refuses to return and only keeps in contact with her younger sister,” Siti said.
Unfortunately, Anis’ story is not uncommon with the rise of social media.
Lea, a teacher, said secondary school girls selling photos and videos of themselves in sexy and revealing outfits is rampant.
Meanwhile, the boys would produce obscene content “for fun”, she revealed.
“These students are selling their content for hundreds of ringgit on social media.
“Payment is done via e-wallet, bank account or in cash, so it is difficult to identify what the transaction is for,” Lea said, adding that as this is a disciplinary issue, the school deals with it quietly because it does not want to risk parents suing.
She said in some cases, parents may know of their child’s online activity but choose to be complicit because it is easy money or they are afraid of how the child would react.
Describing the situation as “heartbreaking”, Lea said these cases indicate a decline in moral and religious values.
“When we punish them, the parents will accuse us of causing their kids depression and anxiety.
“So what else can teachers do but advise them and pray they stay on the right path?” she said.
On Sept 2, Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil said Meta platforms, the parent company of Facebook, will be summoned to explain the spread of immoral content on its platform.
He said among the issues identified was the dissemination of paedophilia-related content detected under Ops Pedo, involving an online group called “Geng Budak Sekolah”, which went viral on WhatsApp and Facebook.
On Aug 19, Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail told the Dewan Rakyat that the police had crippled “Geng Budak Sekolah”, which was allegedly involved in sexual crimes, including the case of a 12-year-old girl who was jointly operating a website with four of her peers, to sell explicit photos of themselves.
The girl had dropped out of school because her income far exceeded that of her parents, he said, adding that the group had created a WhatsApp group with as many as 762 members.
*The names of the interviewees have been changed to protect their identities.