Physical bullying accounts for 72pc of complaints to Anti-Bullying Tribunal since June
KUALA LUMPUR: Physical bullying accounted for 72 per cent of the 61 complaints received by the Anti-Bullying Tribunal involving primary and secondary school pupils nationwide since its establishment on June 16.
Since its inception on June 16, the Anti-Bullying Tribunal in Malaysia has recorded a high proportion of physical bullying complaints. In the period from June 16 to October 8, 72% of the 61 complaints involved physical bullying. This was followed by emotional or psychological bullying in 7 cases, verbal bullying in 6 cases, and two cases each of verbal or language-based cyberbullying and social bullying and social cyberbullying, respectively.
No complaints of emotional or psychological cyberbullying were filed during this period. Tribunal president Nurul Husna Awang disclosed that as of October 8, eight out of the 14 scheduled hearings had been completed, with four awards in favor of the complainants, four in favor of the respondents, and five cases referred to the tribunal after complainants reported the bullying to their schools.
The tribunal's jurisdiction to handle such cases is granted under Section 29(2)(a)(i) and (b) of the Anti-Bullying Act. However, Nurul Husna emphasized the need for better understanding of the committee's role, complaint-handling procedures, and coordination with relevant agencies to provide necessary support. She noted that these observations pertain to the tribunal's specific cases and do not encompass the wider situation in schools.
Nurul Husna acknowledged that the tribunal is still finding its footing and requires enhanced coordination with relevant agencies to ensure proper counseling support and services when ordered. Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim highlighted that 5,681 bullying cases were reported in schools between January and August, although this number might be an underestimation as some administrations refrain from reporting such incidents to avoid damaging their institution's reputation.
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