Vicious cycle: Wong reckoned that children who misbehaved against other children came from a non-conducive environment and may model their conduct after adult behaviour.
PETALING JAYA: Interviews conducted by a non-governmental organisation have revealed that many children lead lonely lives.
Childline Foundation executive director Datin PH Wong said this could be the reason behind an increase in bullying in schools, as these children may be acting out frustration and anger at their peers.
“Children have told us that they are lonely as their parents have little interaction with them or don’t even speak with them when at home.
“Everyone is so engrossed with their mobile phones and social media,” she said.
According to Wong, children also act out against other children because they lack peer interaction.
Children, she said, require direct interaction with each other as it is an important component in building communication skills and for social-emotional development encompassing kindness and mutual respect.
As for the increase in sexual misconduct, research by the foundation discovered that some 8,000 sexually explicit content were uploaded onto social media by Malaysian children themselves between January and March this year.
She said the content had been forwarded to the relevant law enforcement agencies.
“What is troubling is that 50% of the content were of children between the ages of seven and 10, while the remaining half involved children from 11 to 13.
“The children do not know what is right from wrong as there is no comprehensive sexual and health education made available to them in schools.
“There is not enough interaction in the family with parents literally not speaking to their children, and relationships are also almost all based on handphones,” said Wong.
“Given these circumstances, children start looking for attention elsewhere, which includes online.”
She reckoned that children who misbehaved against other children came from a non-conducive environment and may model their conduct after adult behaviour.
“If it is not family members, it may be from people they see on the Internet,” said Wong.
Meanwhile, activists and parent groups call for more effective action beyond “slogans and campaigns”.
Parent Action Group for Education Malaysia chairman Datin Noor Azimah Abdul Rahim said the Education Ministry must “hold the hands” of school leaders to combat bullying.
“What needs to be done is for the ministry to hold the hands of school leaders and counsellors and guide them as to what needs to be done to combat bullying and sexual misconduct issues,” she said.
She added that training for school management is paramount and should be result-oriented.
“It is obvious that the current standard operating procedure is inadequate, and more awareness needs to be created for students or their parents to report.
“School leaders should not take sides but instead remain neutral and be objective,” said Noor Azimah.
Malaysian Chinese Education Parents Association chairman Loh Tian Hong agreed on the importance of prevention awareness, adding that school management should also take responsibility for the place under their care.
He said schools must provide a safe channel for students to file complaints and protect whistleblowers.
“The point is that we must not take complaints lightly. We should also have faith in our children and help them find solutions,” he added.
Lawyer activist Wan Azliana Wan Adnan said other than training teachers to handle bullying and misconduct cases, she once again called for a legislation change by introducing an Anti-bully Act.
She said the law would make institutions accountable for failing to act against bullies and criminalising wrongful acts.
“Bullying is no longer a discipline matter; bullying is a crime,” said Wan Azliana, who is also Malaysian Women’s Aspiration Association president.
She also urged the government to provide teachers with tools and policies to manage the situations effectively.
Education activist Mak Chee Kin also agreed, saying that stern action should be taken instead of mere slogans.
“Let the aggressors know that the authorities are watching and the victims feel there is help,” he said.
Yesterday, Education Ministry director-general Azman Adnan said that based on the Students Discipline System, there were 3,883 reported cases of bullying in 2022, which increased to 6,528 in 2023.
