THE National School Walkout Day (NSWD) alliance plans to address a data gap in safety issues at learning institutions following an online protest against sexual harassment in school.

The alliance of civil society groups advocating for student safety from sexual harassment decided on this next move after the virtual “walkout” on May 6 and 7.

“We will hold discussions with more stakeholders on school safety and child rights groups to address the data gap on the relevant issues of school safety.

“We will start with the data obtained and network formed through the campaign,” NSWD spokesman Firzana Redzuan said of students’ accounts of sexual harassment in school.

She said debates had exposed some of the systemic problems rooted in school. 

A day before the walkout, National Union of the Teaching Profession (NUTP) secretary-general Harry Tan Huat Hock had demanded statistics when asked during a TV interview whether sexual harassment was widespread in schools.

“How is it a widespread problem? Where are the statistics? Where is the data? Who are they talking about? How many schools are involved?” he said in an interview with Astro Awani.

“We have 450,000 teachers in the country, we have 10,000 schools. How many schools are they talking about? Give me the facts,” Tan said.

Tan’s response caused a backlash from the public including his former students.

He later apologised for his reponse but said he wanted to make the point that “the majority of the country’s 450,000 teachers are dedicated, hardworking, and caring educators”.

Creating awareness

Firzana said the NSWD group understood it was risky for civil servants to speak up and support the campaign.

She said it was encouraging to see schools, teachers, and student groups getting online during the protest to talk about rape culture, sexual harassment and other student concerns.

Among them, Firzana said, was a teacher in an all-boys secondary school who designed his lesson plan for the entire week to discuss rape culture and sexual harassment with posters done by students.

The NSWD walkout follows exposes of period spot checks on female students in some schools, and by a 17-year-old student of her male physical education teacher who made a rape joke in class.

Since the revelations last month, personal stories of sexual harassment by survivors have been trending on social media platforms under the #MakeSchoolASaferPlace hashtag.

The walkout protest also drew some controversy over its call to boycott a whole day of school or a class, but the campaign organisers gave students a variety of ways to protest for those who didn’t want to skip lessons.

Some students boycotted school for a full day with their parents’ consent or skipped one class period.

Those who attended classes wore a white ribbon with a red streak – the campaign’s symbol inspired by the period spot checks. Others also used digital backgrounds or held a physical placard with the hashtag #MakeSchoolASaferPlace on screen during online classes.

Secondary school and university students, youth groups and members of the public also shared on social media pictures and videos of their artwork, placards, and wore ribbons in support of the campaign.

Another hashtag being used on social media is #StandWithAin, in reference to Ain Husniza Saiful Nizam, the student who first outed her PE teacher for his rape joke.

The outspoken teen has been vilified on social media by some adults accusing her of stirring trouble, and received a letter from her school warning of expulsion due to her absenteeism. Her father has said Ain had not been attending school as she felt unsafe.

Parent groups supporting the cause

Opposition MPs have been demanding action and support for Ain from the Education Ministry, which has said it has found no evidence of period spot checks as a regular practice in schools.

On Ain’s revelation of her teacher’s rape joke, Education Minister Radzi Jidin had only said the ministry takes such incidents seriously and would take action if necessary. The ministry has been silent over the school’s expulsion warning to Ain.

Malacca Action Group for Parents in Education chairman Mak Chee Kin said he was giving his strong support to the campaign to make schools safer.

There may be a lack of data and statistics on such incidents, but Mak said it was clear from the many personal accounts that female students are being subjected to sexual harassment and humiliation.

“Only a few of them are bold enough to step forward, but it definitely shouldn’t be swept under the carpet and the authorities need to have a concerted plan to ensure things like that do not happen,” he said.

Parent Action Group for Education president Noor Azimah Abdul Rahim praised the NSWD campaign organisers for giving students several options as not everyone could agree with skipping classes.

“We do not condone missing even one class whether physical or online even with parental consent.

“However, alternatively allowing participants to wear a white ribbon with a red streak or placing a digital or physical placard in the background is impactful.”

She supported the campaign, hoping that the Education Ministry would be moved to take action as more students and parents take a similar stand.

The whole episode has thrust the issue of rape culture, what perpetuates it and the way it is “normalised” among young men and boys, into public debate on social media.

Citing police statistics, Noor Azimah said there is an average of 2,500 rape cases yearly, 2,250 molest cases, 300 incest cases and 210 sexual harassment cases.

“Possibly even more during this pandemic. While survivors of such cases are above 18 years of age, incest cases involve children of 13 to 15 years of age.

“These figures are staggering. Could such incidences have stemmed from such a school culture over these years?

“It is timely that the ministry emerges from its deafening silence and reacts to Ain’s cry for help, not just for her but girls and boys in the past and present to ensure that it ends here and now,” she added. – May 13, 2021.