KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian parents and education groups welcomed on Friday a new anti-bullying law and the launch of a dedicated tribunal, but urged caution over a clause that could hold parents responsible for their children´s actions.
The new law came into effect on Tuesday in an effort to tackle the problem that affected some 3,000 students in the Southeast Asian nation last year, according to government figures.
“We welcome the Act because it places children´s well-being at the centre and recognises that bullying has serious emotional, psychological and educational consequences,” said Datin Noor Azimah Abdul Rahim of the Parent Action Group for Education in Malaysia.
A 2023 study by the Dutch-based International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement found that Malaysia had one of the highest rates of bullying among eighth-grade students globally.
An Ipsos poll last year found that some 260 of 400 Malaysian respondents, or 65 percent, said they experienced bullying at school.
Malaysia also established a new Anti-Bullying Tribunal as the new law came into effect.
It comprises 58 specialists who will deal with cases too difficult to handle on the local school level.
One of the key provisions of the new law states that parents of minors who are convicted by the tribunal of bullying can now also be held liable for their children´s actions and risk additional court procedures and fines. “However, legal liability should be approached carefully,” Noor said.
