Scrutinising the Socio-Demographic Pattern of Parenting Practices and Parenting Styles in Upholding Child’s Protection and Privacy to Address Paedophilia Issue

Abstract

Paedophilia issue has become a global issue around the world, including Malaysia. In today’s era of globalisation and modernisation, the seriousness of paedophilia issue is undeniable. As the closest persons to children, parents have been recognised as the critical actor that contributes to children’s protection and security. However, research related to “parenting practices” and “parenting styles” specifically to address the paedophilia issue remains limited in Malaysian context. Thus, a doctoral research, conducted by one of the authors, aimed to fill the gap. Based on the findings, this paper presents the socio-demographic and sociocultural pattern of Malaysian parents in upholding child protection and privacy to prevent paedophilia issue. A survey involving 900 parents representing the equal number of genders (male and female) and ethnicities (Malays, Chinese and Indian) was undertaken. Based on the statistical analysis, there were two key findings highlighted in this paper, which were: (1) the socio-demographic pattern revealed that female parents have higher interest in upholding the child protection and privacy, as compared to male parents; and (2) the socio-cultural pattern showed that Indian parents have high commitment in upholding the child protection and privacy, followed by Malay and Chinese parents. Although every parent has different approaches in upholding their children’s protection and privacy; however, this paper argued that the socio-demographic and socio-cultural aspects are among the main indicators influencing parenting practices and parenting styles in Malaysia.