Cease victim blaming & shaming!
Time to educate educators on gender sensitivities & safeguards against sexual harassment

The school authorities of SMK Puncak Alam must immediately rescind the warning letter of expulsion issued to Form 5 student Ain Husniza Saiful Nizam, and instead, offer her security and moral support amidst the bullying she is current facing after exposing a teacher who jested about rape, a deeply serious issue, and especially, as Ain prepares to sit for SPM.

To raise awareness and an understanding about rape and sexual harassment issues, the Ministry of Education (MoE) could collaborate with women’s-based NGOs to conduct courses for school authorities and teachers during school holidays on safeguards needed. Topics should include:

1)    Recognising sexual harassment/assaults in any form ie sexual, verbal and cyber assaults, stalking, rape, statutory rape

2)    Preventive and protective measures which victims can undertake against the above

3)    Laws against sexual harassment / rape

4)    Organise visits to women’s NGOs and shelters and listen to first-hand accounts by victims and survivors

5)    Support group network contact details

6)    Encouraging victims to lodging police reports and with the respective authorities – be it government or private sector

It is hoped that after attending such courses, educators, in particular, the school authorities, will be more sensitised to sexual assault issues, and respectful of gender equality.

Two weeks have passed. It is incumbent on the school authorities and the MoE to provide an explanation and/or remedial action to be taken on the lewd-joke issues raised by student. MoE must also direct the school principal to desist from victim shaming Ain anymore as news online have also reported that the former allegedly labelled the latter as “hypocrite” and “anak setan.”

To the principal of SMK Puncak Alam - What would you do if Ain were your daughter?
Is the uncalled-for label a reprisal against the student for doing the right thing of raising sexual assault issues? Is the school getting personal with Ain and her parents and exerting pressure to force Ain to involuntarily request for a transfer to another school (warning letter issued on same day Ain’s father met with school authorities)? Is the school trying to wash their hands off this issue in the hope that Ain, clearly a victim here, once no longer enrolled in her present school, the case is considered closed, despite the severity of issues involving rape / public perception being dismissed?
 
The school authorities ought to have exercised discretion and simple common sense before they issued the warning letter of expulsion. As Ain’s parents have full knowledge of her whereabouts, clearly, this is not a case of “ponteng kelas” but avoiding going to school out of fear and personal safety after a schoolmate purportedly threatened to rape her.

The school authorities teach a grossly wrong message by underestimating the severity of sexual harassment and rape trauma.

#MakeSchoolASaferPlace

Wong Siew Mun
MCA Spokesperson
MCA Publicity Bureau Deputy Chairperson

-MCA online-