[Reuters]
A 17-year-old Malaysian girl who complained on TikTok that her teacher had joked about rape is now receiving threats and afraid to return to school, she told opposition leader and former education minister Anwar Ibrahim at an online forum on Thursday.
Ain Husniza Saiful Nizam’s video went viral, sparking a nationwide debate on sex education and institutional misogyny, with many girls raising their voices over similar incidents. But many people criticized her too.
“I am afraid to go to school. This is a school that I used to love, with teachers that I love,” Ain said at the forum organized by Anwar and moderated by political cartoonist Zulkiflee Anwar Ul Haque, who’s better known as Zunar.
Ain s dad grateful for support but not receptive to school walkouts
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Saiful Nizam Ab Wahab, the father of a 17-year-old teen who exposed a teacher for allegedly making a rape joke to students, said his family was grateful for the support.
However, Saiful Nizam (
above) was not receptive to the idea of getting students to walk out of schools as a sign of protest.
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The hashtag ended up appearing among the top 10 trending topics in Malaysia last weekend, and public figures not only shared her tweet but their own stories as well.
Ms Ain was also praised for her courage.Â
âThe young will set us free. Thank you for your bravery Ain.Â
Semoga dipermudahkan segalanyaâ, wrote actress Sharifah Amani.
Singer Daiyan Trisha said, âWe are behind you Ain, and we thank you for your bravery to speak your truth. Fight the good fight â be loud and fearless! Iâm so proud of you.â
But the teenagerâs stand has not gone without blowback, even from her male classmates.