KUALA LUMPUR, Feb. 2 -- While it would make sense that fewer reported cases of sexual abuse of children should be positive for Malaysia, whether it is so would depend on several factors.

Are numbers low because there are fewer people sexually abusing children? Or is it instead because some cases were not reported to the Malaysian authorities due to child victims or adults around them thinking the matter was not "serious"?

Malaysia's top police officer heading the fight against sexual crimes against children, Assistant Commissioner of Police Siti Kamsiah Hassan, told Malay Mail that care must be taken to interpret statistics on such cases.

She cautioned against immediately concluding that Malaysia is in a dangerous situation if there we...