Satu Lagi Masalah Orang Melayu : Ustazah Raba Bontot Student

 Well here are more raba bontot, unhook bras, raba private parts stories from the sekolah asrama penuh.  Yes these are more sexual offences by the religious teachers and they must be prosecuted under the sexual offences act. Do read my closing comments.  

"or she will grope their buttocks or private parts to check if they were wearing pads"

Many students said ustazs, teachers, hostel wardens, matrons, and prefects would often use the excuse of 'spot checks' to touch and molest them.

asked students to unhook their bras during spot checks

they felt across the girls' chests

All [harassment] under the guise of religion

Hundreds of Malaysians are coming out to share disturbing stories of sexual harassment and abuse they suffered while they were in school

The issue came to light when Twitter user and human rights activist @TerryDieHeiden wondered if 'period spot checks' were still being practised in boarding schools.

According to him, during the month of Ramadan, some ustazahs (women religious teachers) physically checked students to make sure they do not use menstruation as an excuse to escape fasting and prayers.

The teachers would force students to show them proof of their blood or reach down to touch their private parts to feel if they were wearing pads.

"A few years ago I asked about this, but is it still happening in schools and hostels in Malaysia?" the concerned netizen tweeted.

"It shouldn't be done because of invasion of privacy, " he reminded, adding that such cases should be reported to parents and the authorities.

To his dismay, many social media users reached out to him to tell him that the practice was still prevalent

A student shared that it was common practice for an ustazah in her boarding school to make girls on their periods line up and take off their underwear to prove it to her.

Meanwhile, another said her hostel warden often asked them to show their period blood on a piece of tissue or she will grope their buttocks or private parts to check if they were wearing pads.

"I didn't register it as sexual harassment until much later in life," said a victim.

As it was so normalised in school, many victims only realised the gravity of the issue with age.

"We disliked it but didn't know it was harassment, invasive, and wrong. We trusted them," the human rights activist said was a common theme among the replies he received.

The discussion led down a rabbit hole, with many more exposing other forms of sexual harassment and shaming that happens in schools

Many students said ustazs, teachers, hostel wardens, matrons, and prefects would often use the excuse of 'spot checks' to touch and molest them.

"There was once a spot check at 2am. Although this was a long time ago, I still think about it," someone said.

"They were searching for smartphones because we're not supposed to bring them to the hostel. We girls were groped from top to bottom and they even asked us to take off our shoes."

Another said her teachers also often abused their power and asked students to unhook their bras during spot checks. If the teachers were not satisfied, they felt across the girls' chests to make sure they were not hiding anything that should be confiscated.

"Thinking back, I feel so disgusted letting someone touch my body like that," said the victim.

With the numerous stories, many are now hoping for awareness to put these dehumanising practices to a stop

Twitter user and social activist @naslisaaliaamin has requested victims to share their stories with her to bring awareness to this disturbing reality in many public schools and institutions.

"I've received almost 100 stories at the moment. 

Real experiences from women and men. All [harassment] under the guise of religion and discipline towards adolescents," she said.

She urged victims to speak up and protect future generations of students from authorities who trivialise these issues in the name of protecting perpetrators and school reputations.

"All we want is justice and accountability. A tighter policy to protect current and future children to ban all these practices now!"

NGOs calling on Ministry of Eduation (MOE) and MARA to start investigative task force into the systemic issue

AWAM, WOMEN:girls, SIS said many cases can be considered sexual offences.

"These are degrading and abusive treatments that violate the physical body and personal boundaries all without consent, made even worse by the fact that most survivors here are or were underaged when these incidents happened," said the NGOs.

offences can be punishable under Sexual Offences Act 2017, Penal Code for outrage of modesty.

The NGOs said it was about time that crucial stakeholders such as the MOE, government agencies, and parents collaborate to create a zero tolerance policy towards sexual violations in schools.

My comments:

We thank Allah swt that this is not a Malaysian problem. This is another uniquely Malay problem. Meaning it can be easier contained and solved.

We never hear any such things happening in Chinese schools, Tamil schools or to boys and girls of other races. (With the exception of another religion based school - a non-Islamic religion where young boys have been abused, covered up and not reported.) 

But back to the issue - this is indeed yet another problem in this country that is unique to the Malays - and once again because of religious enforcement by "village mentality" ustazahs who are given positions in the many sekolah asrama that we have in the country.

Well Malays are human beings too and it is time that we all raised the alarm and put a stop to these sexual crimes that are being carried out by the ustazahs on unsuspecting Malay girls in the sekolah asrama system and maybe in other schools as well.

These are sexual crimes. Make no mistake.

Here is my appeal : THE VICTIMS MUST GO AND MAKE  POLICE REPORTS. IT IS NOT ENOUGH TO MAKE JUST ONE OR TWO POLICE REPORTS. 

ALL THE VICTIMS OF THESE SEXUAL CRIMES MUST GATHER TOGETHER - WITH THE ASSISTANCE OF THE NGOS - GO TO A POLICE STATION AND START MAKING DOZENS AND HUNDREDS OF POLICE REPORTS. PLEASE DO IT NOW.  

THESE SEXUAL CRIMES AGAINST OUR YOUNG GIRLS IN THE NAME OF AGAMA HAS TO BE STOPPED NOW.

The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.