THE Joint Action Group for Gender Equality (JAG) urges the Education Ministry (MoE) to be more transparent in investigations on period spot checks and sexual harassment in schools. JAG is willing and able to assist the MoE in those investigations and has recently sent a letter to the MoE to request for a meeting to discuss ways to address sexual harassment in schools.

Recently Malaysiakini, in an effort to assist investigations on alleged sexual harassment in schools, handed a list of 15 schools where female students were allegedly subjected to period spot checks to Education Minister Mohd Radzi Md Jidin.

A copy of the list was also sent to his deputies, Muslimin Yahya and Dr Mah Hang Soon, the ministry’s secretary-general and corporate communications department. Other details were submitted with the list, specifically the dates of alleged offences (most of which were from 2011 to 2018) and the wardens or teachers involved.

Three weeks ago, the systemic issue of sexual harassment in schools and universities was brought to public attention, through the appalling stories on period spot checks, sexual harassment, bullying and abuse shared by current and former students online. This was met by resounding calls on key stakeholders to address this issue from various quarters of civil society, including MPs, women’s and child rights groups as well as members of the public.

The systemic issue was further highlighted when a secondary school student Ain Husniza called out via TikTok her male Physical Education teacher for making rape jokes, and subsequently received a rape threat from her male classmate and online lewd comments for doing so.

Since then, more survivors have come forward. To date, All Women’s Action Society has received 13 cases of gender-based violence against children in schools, in which 12 of them were sexual harassment and one was rape. Four of the sexual harassment cases involved refugee children. In all 12 sexual harassment cases, the teachers were the perpetrators.

The deeply entrenched toxic culture of sexual harassment does not just negatively affect students. Ain’s father, Saiful Nizam has recently mentioned he has received many stories on sexual harassment from female teachers, with many disclosing to him the names of their male colleagues who have harassed them.

Sexual harassment can happen to and be perpetrated by anyone. Its effects on the survivor can be wide-ranging yet devastating. Among the psychological effects include self-blame, depression, low self-esteem and anxiety, with self-harm, suicidal ideation and suicide being among the most severe consequences. Survivors of sexual harassment often experience poor academic outcomes and/or reduced work productivity, as well as poor relationship quality due to stigma and/or judgment from surrounding others on the violation.

In schools, teachers and administrators are given the responsibility to protect students. By allowing sexual harassment, bullying and abuse to happen, figures of authority in schools are creating and perpetuating a violence-supportive environment that indoctrinates students with problematic values of disrespect for physical boundaries, human dignity and women. At the same time, these figures of authority are also entrenching a culture of mistrust, fear, hostility and trauma, making schools physically, psychologically and emotionally unsafe for students.

The MoE has the responsibility of providing our children with quality education in a safe environment of learning that actively promotes values of respect for all persons and non-violence. This includes being transparent and timely in the current investigations on the issue of sexual harassment, bullying and abuse happening in our schools.

The results of the investigations should then be used as the groundwork for a multi-sectoral collaborative response to this extremely serious issue. All of us – MoE, civil societies, parents, teachers, police – must come together to form sustainable solutions or risk having a society of young people forever scarred by their schooling experience. – May 6, 2021.

* The Joint Action Group for Gender Equality is a coalition of 14 women’s rights bodies advocating for gender equality and social justice in Malaysia within a feminist framework.

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.