M'sia has laws against bullying, but are our children any safer?

Malaysiakini

a day ago

LETTER | When the nation mourned the tragic death of Zara Qairina Mahathir, Malaysians were united in grief and anger. The outrage was loud, the calls for reform urgent.
To its credit, Parliament has responded. In December 2024, amendments to the Penal Code made bullying, harassment, and threatening communications explicit criminal offences. Section 507D now provides penalties of up to 10 years' imprisonment in the most serious cases, and by March 2025 these provisions had taken effect nationwide.
In August this year, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Azalina Othman Said confirmed that cabinet is reviewing the possibility of a dedicated Anti-Bullying Act, including the establishment of a tribunal for children's cases. MPs such as Matbali Musah (Sipitang) have pressed the issue with urgency. For the first time, bullying in schools is being treated as a matter of national policy, not just a private misfortune.
But laws alone cannot make schools safe. A child is not protected by an Act of Parliament if the intimidation in their classroom, hostel, or WhatsApp group goes unreported, unseen, or unresolved. Malaysia has built the legal foundation. What remains missing is the system that turns legal words into lived safety.
The numbers show why urgency is needed. In just the first ten months of 2023, the Education Ministry recorded 4,994 cases of bullying - already surpassing the 3,887 cases in the entire year before. Between 2021 and 2023, more than 9,200 cases were logged, involving over 5,700 students.
Malaysia also ranked second highest in Asia for youth cyberbullying in 2020. Research consistently shows that children who are bullied face double the risk of depression and suicide. Behind every statistic is a child - our child.
So, where do we go from here?
First, accountability must be clearer, but it must come with support. Head teachers and principals should be required to record every case into a central Education Ministry system, reviewed quarterly. Wardens, teachers, and security staff must face consequences if negligence or cover-ups are proven.
But these same educators must also be given the tools to succeed: School safety funds to hire more counsellors, legal protection when reporting transparently, and annual training in detecting bullying, de-escalating conflicts, and managing trauma. Teachers themselves should have access to mental health support. Accountability without support will only deepen resistance; accountability paired with support can change culture.
Second, Malaysia should empower what we already have: Pembimbing Rakan Sebaya (PRS). Every school has PRS peer leaders, but their potential is underutilised. With proper training in peer counselling and psychological first aid - beginning in primary schools - PRS members can act as the first line of detection, noticing isolation, name-calling, or behavioural shifts that adults often miss. A confidential digital reporting tool could allow PRS to flag concerns directly to counsellors, turning an existing structure into a national safety net.
Third, we must close the counsellor gap. Malaysia currently averages one counsellor for 1,500 students, far below the international benchmark of 1:250. A recruitment drive, supported by scholarships and bonded fellowships, is needed to fast-track more counsellors and psychologists into schools, especially in high-risk areas.
Fourth, reporting must be safe and transparent. A bilingual SafeguardMY app and WhatsApp line should allow students and parents to report anonymously, upload encrypted evidence, and trigger automatic links to Cyber999 for online abuse and Talian Kasih 15999 for family support. Aggregated data on cases should be published quarterly in a National Bullying Dashboard. Sunlight builds trust; cover-ups destroy it.
Finally, culture must shift. Rewarding schools for 'zero cases' only drives silence. Instead, schools that report honestly, resolve cases quickly, and provide family support should be recognised as models of transparency. Students should be engaged in Kindness Projects and parents in awareness workshops, creating a society-wide effort where empathy is cultivated as deliberately as literacy.
If these reforms sound ambitious, they are achievable. Finland's KiVa programme cut bullying rates by 40 percent through peer-driven interventions. Japan's 2013 Anti-Bullying Act required every school to investigate cases within strict timelines. Singapore shows discipline can be paired with counselling and restorative practice. Malaysia can adapt these lessons, while strengthening its own PRS framework.
What would success look like? Within three months, an Anti-Bullying Bill or tribunal could be tabled in Parliament, and pilot versions of SafeguardMY could be tested in selected schools. Within six months, 5,000 PRS leaders could be trained and 1,000 new counsellors recruited. Within a year, Malaysia could publish its first National Bullying and Kindness Index, measuring not silence but safety.
Malaysia now has the laws. But safety must be built in the classrooms, hostels, and digital spaces where children actually live their lives. By combining accountability with support for educators, empowering PRS, investing in counsellors, and building transparency into the system, we can move from slogans to systems, from punishment to prevention.
Zara's story must not end as another tragedy. It must be remembered as the moment Malaysia decided that protecting children is more important than protecting reputations.
The author is a mother of four and a professional in the corporate sector. She writes on various issues, including education, child safety, and social policy issues affecting Malaysian families.
The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.