Haslinah Yacob recalls the afternoon 13 years ago that changed her life. Heavily pregnant, she was having a rest. Her six-year-old son, who was jumping on the bed, asked a disturbing question.

"He suddenly asked 'why would the man touch my private parts?'. I wanted to scream but I had to keep cool so that he wouldn't get scared. I asked who the man was and he mentioned a person who often plays with children at the nearby playground."

That was how Haslinah (left in photo), now 46, found out that her son, Ishmael Ho, now 19, had been molested by a neighbour.

"My husband and I went to the police station to lodge a report against the man, but we were not able to, because the police personnel were not helpful," she told a press conference held by All Women Action Society (Awam) today at its office in Petaling Jaya.

"She told us that molest is common, and that I ought to be grateful that it was my son who got molested and not my daughter. How is it different that my child is a boy? Don't boys get molested?"

She then decided to take action on her own - she typed a letter warning parents in the neighbourhood of the presence of the child molester, and distributed copies to almost 100 houses.

"News spread and the man moved out when he knew that we had identified him," said the teary-eyed the businesswoman, who consented to the media's use of her name and those of her children.

Things were to get worse, when her youngest child Aishah Ho, now 13, was molested by an unknown man in a bookstore when she was three years old.

"My children were at the children's corner while my husband and I were at a different section of the store. Aishah started crying and told her brother that somebody has touched her private parts," Haslinah said.

"Ishmael ran after a man, but he was a different man. He (Ishmael) only told me about the incident when we were on our way back. I was very shocked to know that even a bookstore is not a safe place any more."

'Everyone's responsibility'

That was the cue for Awam president Judith Loh-Koh and All Petaling Jaya Pro-Action Committee pro-tem chairperson Edward Lee to interject that all parties must give serious attention to sexual crimes.

The press conference was also to announce Awam's upcoming event 'Uniting for Safe Spaces: Children Count!', aimed at expressing outrage over brutal attacks on children and women.

To be held on Oct 6 at the Selangor and Kuala Lumpur Chinese Assembly Hall, it will feature performances by children and youth, and a talk by Lee and Petaling Jaya City Councilor Dr Wong Sai Hou.

Koh-Loh, referring to the Nurin Jaslin Jazimin kidnap-murder case, said: "All major newspapers are highlighting Nurin's murder now. It's like a rhythm and soon it won't be (an issue) and people will say that it is all right."

"But it is not all right. We, the citizens, must come forward and push for our own safety," she said, adding that all quarters - the public, local councils and the police are responsible in keeping the environment safe for children.

"Let's take Nurin's case as example. The local councils are the ones that give approvals for night markets. They are the ones who are responsible for putting up street lights. If an incident like this happens at a night market, who should we look for?"

She suggested police presence in all night markets in future.

Nurin went missing on Aug 20 after going to the night market on her own. Her body was found stuffed in a gym bag in Petaling Jaya on Sept 17.

'Introduce sex education'

Koh-Loh also called for an education system that encompasses sex education and a curriculum that promotes free thinking.

"By providing sex education, we are teaching our children about rights and wrongs. By doing this, we are taking action before an unwanted incident occurs," she said.

"Citizens as a whole must also be more responsible in preventing sexual crimes. When we see a child walking alone, it is our duty to watch out for the child."

Lee (left ) urged citizens to help local councils to build safe cities and townships.

"The residents, being parents, must be aware of their rights and must tell their local councils about their wants and needs," he said

"The time has come for us to pay serious attention to the issue of safety. We don't want the citizens to blame the police and vice versa."

He added that almost all residents' associations in Petaling Jaya are in close touch with the police and local councils.