KUALA LUMPUR – The education minister and his deputies have been slammed for being insensitive and silent following allegations of bullying and sexual harassment in public schools.
“One senior minister with two deputies, all males, seem insensitive and could not be bothered by this horrific incident. Even the Penang mufti has spoken out, condemning the actions.
“So, what is MoE’s stand on this?” questioned Kulai MP Teo Nie Ching.
Teo in a statement today said there is no guideline allowing teachers to perform “period spot checks”.
Teo, who is former deputy education minister, said schools should be a safe place for students to learn.
“Answer this question: how would you feel when people question you and reach out to check your private parts to be sure?”
Malaysiakini reported that Penang mufti Datuk Seri Wan Salim Wan Mohd Noor is against the practice of “period spot checks”.
“Islam doesn’t allow for children to be treated in a way that embarrasses them, such as inspecting their privates to check whether they are menstruating.
“Islam strongly forbids its followers to see the privates of others, even if it is to prevent female students from skipping prayers,” he was quoted as saying.
The Vibes yesterday reported that Pertubuhan Pembangunan Kendiri Wanita dan Gadis, All Women’s Action Society and Sisters in Islam had called for the setting up of a task force to investigate the matter.
They identified the following allegations that went viral this week:
- A male teacher sending messages to schoolgirls, such as “You miss me or not?” or “You love me or not?”, and taking them out individually to Starbucks;
- Male students molesting and sexually assaulting their female peers;
- Male students staring at the bodies of their female classmates sleeping in the classroom; and,
- Teachers and students ganging up to body-shame girls, including commenting on their breasts.
Other claims include teachers who touch female Muslim students’ genitals to make sure they are indeed menstruating, and not lying to skip prayers or fasting.
“Period spot checks; physically invasive spot checks for ‘forbidden items’; body, clothing and intimate relationship shaming in public; child grooming; molestation; and, slapping and pinching of the nipples as punishment are just a few of the violating incidences experienced by students in Malaysian schools that have been brought to the public’s attention recently,” they said.
They added that such practices reflect a toxic culture of patriarchy, sexism, harassment, abuse, bullying and religious policing, with the nation’s younger generation on the receiving end.
“These are degrading and abusive treatments that violate the physical body and personal boundaries without consent, made worse by the fact that most survivors here are or were underaged when these incidents happened.
“Under the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017, and outrage of modesty under Section 354 of the Penal Code, these cases should be considered criminal offences and punishable by law.”
The groups said allowing these practices to be carried out by teaching staff trains students to believe it is acceptable to violate another person’s body without consent.
A thread went viral on Twitter by user @TerryDieHeiden last Friday, highlighting some of the allegations.
The user shared claims including female teachers groping the genitals of female students to check whether they are on their period.
Another allegation concerned a teacher at a public boarding school who uploaded lewd photographs of his female students.
The user also posted about an allegation that a teacher attempted to groom female students via WhatsApp messages and one-on-one outings. – The Vibes, April 22, 2021
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