KUCHING: A forum will be arranged to address bullying in schools, said Datuk Fatimah Abdullah, Minister for Women Early Childhood and Community Wellbeing Development.
When contacted by Utusan Sarawak, Fatimah said she is aware of the incident and understands why parents are worried about their children at school.
A Form 1 girl was threatened by two classmates with rape and stabbed 300 times with stones thrown at her too.
The extreme violence case has sparked an outcry online especially among young parents.
Social media users expressed shock and fear after the widely reported stabbing of a 16 year old student by a 14 year old school mate at a school in Bandar Utama on the morning of October 14.
Many Malaysians remain unsettled by that earlier case and the recent Kuching case prompted parents to rush online to ask which school was involved.
Some parents feared it might be their child’s school and several accused authorities of underreporting past incidents.
Netigen Cucu Anjang Tar made a comment stating, “Rape and murder threats are not small matters. Before anything happens the police should investigate and arrest those who made the threats. A mere reprimand is not enough. The student involved should be expelled and transferred to another school. The mental impact on other students is deep. This is a severe bullying case.”
One father said he would personally hunt down the predator if his daughter is being bullied. Other parents called for stricter punishments to deter bullies, while some recalled previous cases where they felt schools handled matters quietly to avoid scandal.
Milton Foo, chief of the SUPP public complaints bureau, said the victim’s went to see him as they were unhappy with the punishment given and that their daughter remains too traumatised to return to school.
The two boys were suspended for three days.
When contacted by Utusan Sarawak, Padawan police Chief, Supt Mohd Irwan Hafiz Md Radzi confirmed that a report has been lodged by the victim. He said the case is investigated under Section 507C which carries a jail sentence that may extend a year or a fine or both.
By Connie Chieng