PETALING JAYA: There are much better ways to protest against sexual harassment than skipping or staying away from school, says Ain Husniza Saiful Nizam.
The teenager, who made headlines after exposing a teacher who had trivialised rape during a class discussion, said she did not approve of the call from the Nationwide School Walkout Day (NSWD) Alliance.
“For now, there are much better ways to handle the current situation. But we will take the next course of action if the government continues to take this issue lightly, ” the 17-year-old Ain tweeted yesterday.
She lodged a police report against a male Physical Education teacher for making jokes about rape in class and another after receiving a rape threat from a male classmate.
PETALING JAYA: An alliance of activists have called for students and teachers to protest against rape culture and sexual harassment by being absent from school for one day as part of the #MakeSchoolASaferPlace movement.
“In protest of recent events on #MakeSchoolASaferPlace, we are organising a #NationalSchoolWalkoutDay (NSWD) to demand for changes in schools, ” said organisers, the NSWD Alliance.
The one-day absence, on May 6 or 7, is to call for reforms, challenge norms, improve advocacy, and protect and support survivors of sexual harassment in schools. Some of the demands include introducing institutional changes such as reporting and response frameworks, and proper training for academic staff to handle such situations with care.