More males are reporting being molested, continuing a rising trend in recent years, though experts flag that under-reporting remains an issue for sexual crimes, in part because of legal barriers.

Last year, 116 males were victims of molestation, about 1.5 times the 74 cases in 2010; close to 80 per cent of male victims last year were aged 21 and below. This comes as the total number of molestation victims rose to 1,672 last year, from 1,511 in 2010.