What is the status of period spot check committee, asks SIS

 

Women’s rights advocacy group Sisters In Islam (SIS) is demanding clarification from the Education Ministry on the progress of the period spot check committee.

“SIS seeks clarification from @RadziJidin and @KemPendidikan on actions that will be taken following the minister’s visit to a vocational college after receiving a complaint about period spot checks occurring there.

“According to a report in June 2021, @KemPendidikan stated that an independent committee would be formed to look into procedures to deal with complaints about period spot check cases in schools,” said the group on Twitter, referring to this Malaysiakini report.

“So, what is the status of this committee now? Period spot checks are still going on in educational institutions and it needs immediate action to stop it,” added SIS.

In its Twitter thread, SIS also detailed several questions which remained unanswered by the minister on the committee, such as:

1. Has the committee been formed?

2. Who are its members?

3. What decisions and instructions have been made by this committee to stop period spot checks from recurring?

4. What actions will be taken against those who perform period spot checks?

5. What is the timeline for the decision and instructions of this committee to be declared to the educational institutions, schools, hostels, teachers, students, parents and the public?

6. The group’s remarks were made in response to a Twitter thread - penned by this writer and addressed to Education Minister Mohd Radzi Md Jidin and his ministry - asking for clarification on the progress of the period spot check committee.

First announced in June, the committee was established to look into existing procedures that addressed complaints on the practice of period spot checks in schools and other related matters.

Education Minister Mohd Radzi Jidin

Batu Kawan MP Kasthuri Patto also chimed in on the same Twitter thread, replying to another respondent who asked about updates regarding the period spot check incident.

In her Twitter response, Kasthuri said that she had submitted questions on the matter for Ministers’ Question Time - which have yet to be picked up in Parliament.

Silence expected

Former Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) chairperson Rais Hussin, however, said that the ministry’s silence on the matter was to be expected.

“Their modus operandi is simple: ignore for a while, people will forget. All will move on... Not expecting much. I can be wrong. But you and I know, I am right!” Rais tweeted in response to the original tweet by this writer.

Sisters In Islam also stressed in their tweets that the issue of period poverty should not be taken lightly.

“Still on the issue of menstruation, period poverty should not be taken lightly. Period poverty touches on broader things such as economic, social, health, education, access to resources and hygiene.

“There have been many insensitive comments about period poverty, as of late.

“Some gave opinions and advice on the price of sanitary napkins, reacted in disbelief regarding the ability and affordability to buy sanitary napkins, did not understand the need and frequency of changing sanitary napkins and (made) various other comments as if they knew more about this.

“This shows how insensitive and shallow these individuals are to the realities and life experiences that women go through every month,” remarked SIS in the same Twitter thread.

Various groups and public figures - including the All Women’s Action Society (Awam), Azalina Othman Said, Rafidah Aziz, Anwar Ibrahim, Hannah Yeoh, Teo Nie Ching and Maszlee Malik - have also called for the ministry’s action on the matter since the incidents were first reported in April.

Last week, a report alleged that 30 girls aged 18 or 19 had period spot checks conducted on them at their vocational college in Setapak, Kuala Lumpur, recently.

This prompted Radzi to visit the school on Oct 27 to get feedback directly from the students and pledge his commitment to ensuring that period spot checks would no longer be practised by any institution under his ministry. - Mkini