Govt urged to take concrete action against bullying

The Sun

2 days ago

PETALING JAYA: An NGO is calling for the government to take proactive measures to address the issue of bullying and enact an anti-bullying law.
Gerakan Gubal Akta Anti-Buli (GAB) chairman Wan Azliana Wan Adnan said: 'We sent a memorandum and a report about bullying back in 2022 and we were called by the Education Ministry to discuss the issue. We also had an MoU with universities but because of a lack of funding, all our efforts had to stop.'
Wan Azliana said this is why GAB is urging the government to introduce an anti-bullying law.
'The government needs to take action now before more bullying cases happen.'
She said according to Education Ministry statistics, bullying cases in schools continue to show an upward trend each year.
In 2022, a total of 7,360 bullying cases were reported among secondary school students. This number increased by 20% to 8,820 cases in 2023 and as of October 2024, 5,703 cases were recorded, involving 11,594 students.
The reported cases involved either physical bullying such as pushing or hitting, and threatening or verbal bullying, which includes insults, use of abusive language and mocking in front of peers.
Wan Azliana said the phenomenon of cyberbullying has also become increasingly complex and difficult to control as students use social media platforms such as WhatsApp, Instagram and TikTok to spread hate messages, embarrassing images or videos of bullying incidents.
A 2023 study by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission revealed that one in three secondary school students had experienced cyberbullying but more than half of them did not report the incidents due to fear of retaliation or a lack of trust in the school system.
'We urge the government to promptly enact an anti-bullying law as an umbrella law that covers all forms of bullying – physical, verbal, cyber, mental and any form of harassment.
'This Act must provide a clear definition of bullying and outline the rights and responsibilities of
all parties involved, including institutional administrators, perpetrators and victims.'
She said the Act's aim should not only be to educate and prevent bullying but also to ensure that justice is served, voices of the victims are heard and confidence in the legal system is strengthened.
Wan Azliana also said GAB would be starting a petition drive to gather support from the public for the introduction of the Act.