PUTRAJAYA: Although bullying in schools is not considered a serious crime, Pertubuhan Aspirasi Wanita Malaysia, a non-governmental organisation (NGO), is proposing that the government introduce anti-bullying legislation to make the offence punishable by law.
Its president Wan Aziana Wan Adnan said such a move is needed considering more than 20 bullying incidents had been reported since schools reopened in March.
Calling the number of bullying cases in school “alarming”, she said she believed the figure was just the tip of the iceberg as many more cases would have gone unreported.
“Victims are afraid to come forward. To make things worse, some schools are also allegedly covering up such incidents, forcing victims to remain quiet,” she said at the National Leadership Foundation after meeting former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamed to discuss the issue of bullying at schools.
“We met Tun to share with him our intention to push this agenda and send a memorandum to relevant ministries.”
Wan Aziana, who is also a lawyer, called for a specific law to deal with bullying in schools.
She said the move is necessary to address the growing problem at primary and secondary schools.
“We do not want victims to continue suffering. They are victims of bullying and at the school level, there is bureaucracy, which causes them to continue being victims.
“So, where is the justice for victims? This trauma will certainly have a lifelong impact on them. Some suffer from stage four depression and become dependent on medication.
“Is suspending bullies for 14 days sufficient, especially in cases where victims have suffered serious injuries, including fractures and injuries to eardrums? I think it is time for the government to enact an anti-bullying Act.”
Also present was Zainizam Wakimun, 45, from Negri Sembilan, who said his son was a victim of school bullying.
“My son was one of the victims of an incident on May 15 at his boarding school. He is now afraid to go to school because the bullies are still there.”
Zainizam said his 13-year old son, who suffered a fractured left arm which had to be put in a cast, is getting help from a psychologist due to the trauma he endured.
“He has nightmares. He screams as if he is being beaten up, and is afraid of being in a crowd, especially around teenagers older and bigger than him.”
The group is calling for more serious action against school bullies and for standard operating procedures (SOP) to be instituted when dealing with bullying in schools.
Wan Aziana said currently, there is no SOP to deal with the matter and it is up to schools to decide on how to handle it. Most school bullies are back attending classes after just 14 days.
The most recent case of bullying was reported last week, where a 17-year-old was beaten up by a group of six classmates in Sabah.
Kota Kinabalu police chief Mohd Zaidi Abdullah said the case is being investigated under section 147 of the Penal Code for rioting.
