We must teach boys not to rape and make perpetrators of violence accountable for their unacceptable behaviour. Photos: Unsplash
Rape is a crime. It is certainly not fodder for jokes and threats about rape should never be taken lightly. However, when a 17-year-old student recently highlighted inappropriate comments and “jokes” about rape made by a teacher, she was not only gaslighted on social media but threatened with rape by a male schoolmate.
Though shaken by the threat, Ain Husniza Saiful Nizam isn’t backing down.
Supported by her father, she has lodged two police reports, on the teacher’s alleged comments and the threat to her safety that she received. She’s also continued to be vocal in the media and on her own social media platforms about the issue and has even started a hashtag campaign, #makeschoolasaferplace, determined to spearhead change in schools.
70% of stalking victims didn t make police report, says group freemalaysiatoday.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from freemalaysiatoday.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Stalking causes mental and emotional distress and disrupts the lives of victims as well as those around them. Photo: AZMAN GHANI/ The Star
A third of Malaysians (36%) surveyed have experienced stalking that caused them to be afraid; 17% say they experienced stalking that involved actual harm and 12% were stalked and threatened harm. And, they want a law that protects them from being stalked and harassed, a survey by the Women s Aid Organisation (WAO), titled Understanding Malaysians Experiences of Stalking, has revealed.
The survey of 1,008 Malaysians, conducted in September this year, further showed that 88% of Malaysians have experienced acts associated with stalking which included unwanted emails, chats and messages (76%), phone calls (72%), approached at the homes, workplace or school (33%), sent unwanted gifts, flowers or messages (28%) among other acts.