KUALA KANGSAR, May 6 -- Efforts are already ongoing to combat the rise in statutory rapes disclosed by the Royal Malaysia Police's Criminal Investigation Department, said Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek.

Saying her ministry was aware of the new data, Fadhlina said it was a grave problem and measures were already being explored to curb the issue.

"We have been working closely with the Women, Family, and Community Development Ministry and the Legal Affairs Division (law) of the Prime Minister's Department on the advocacy programmes for sexual harassment.

"We have also recently held a convention on anti-sexual harassment involving both the Education and Law Ministries," she told a press conference at the Universiti Sultan Azlan Shah (US...