KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia: The Human Rights Commission (Suhakam) is looking at having a specific definition for child pornography so that the country can formulate legislation on sexual exploitation of children.

Suhakam is also calling on the Government to sign the optional protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography as well as the protocol on the involvement of children in armed conflicts.

"The plus point is that we have good international definition of child pornography and we can use it as a reference guide to see what best suits Malaysia," said Commissioner Datuk Dr Raj Abdul Karim when launching a report of the forum on Malaysia's reservations to the convention yesterday.

"We are far behind from the rest of the world. Singapore and Indonesia are already doing it.

"We are looking at various countries such as Australia and New Zealand which have legislation on child pornography as model legislations," she said.

Dr Raj, who is in the commission's Law Reform and International Treaties Working Group in charge of Convention on the Rights of the Child, said Suhakam was getting cooperation from non-governmental organisations.

She said the commission was also having discussions with relevant Government agencies including the Information Ministry, Malaysian Communication and Multimedia Commission.

She said there were no laws or legislation to protect children when it came to the subject of pornography.

"With the advent of information and communications technology, child pornography is getting serious.

"We don't have laws except for the Penal Code and the Multimedia Act which does not specify child pornography but merely touches on offensive materials," she added.

Bukit Aman sexual, abuse and children division (D11) head ACP Suguram Bibi Munshi Deen said a police paedophile registry was in the pipeline following the murder of eight-year-old Nurin Jazlin Jazimin.

"There are paedophiles around. Like the lelaki kucing (cat man), the type of people who watch porn," she said.

She added that the police were in the early stage of trying to put up a profile of paedophiles.