When boys are denied the right to be victims

 

THE recent case involving a female teacher charged with sexually abusing a 14-year-old male student has sparked widespread debate in Malaysia. Yet perhaps even more disturbing than the allegations themselves has been the public reaction.

Across social media, the case has been met not only with concern, but also with jokes, minimisation, and comments suggesting that the boy was somehow “lucky”.

Such responses reveal a deeply entrenched misunderstanding about sexual abuse, victimhood, and gender.

If the genders were reversed—if an adult male teacher had allegedly engaged in sexual acts with a 14-year-old female student—public outrage would have been immediate and unequivocal. The incident would rightly be recognised as predatory, exploitative, and abusive.

However, when the victim is a boy, and the alleged perpetrator is a woman, public reactions often become clouded by stereotypes surrounding masculinity and sexuality.

This double standard is not harmless. It undermines child protection efforts and trivialises the experiences of male victims.

In criminology and victimology, sexual offending is understood not merely as an act of desire, but as one rooted in power, manipulation, coercion, and unequal relationships.

This is particularly significant in institutional settings such as schools, where teachers occupy positions of authority, trust, and influence over children.

A teacher-student relationship is inherently unequal. The issue is not whether a child appeared willing, compliant, or emotionally attached.

Children cannot meaningfully consent to sexual relationships with adults in positions of authority. The imbalance of power itself is central to understanding the abuse.

Yet this reality is often overlooked when boys are involved.

In many societies, including Malaysia, there has traditionally been a stronger focus on protecting girls from sexual exploitation, while the vulnerability of boys receives far less attention.

Boys are frequently socialised to appear emotionally tough, sexually assertive, and resilient, creating the dangerous assumption that they are somehow less vulnerable to abuse.

This cultural blind spot has serious consequences.

Many boys who experience sexual abuse carry shame, confusion, and unresolved trauma into adulthood. Some struggle to disclose what happened because they fear ridicule, disbelief, or humiliation. Others do not fully recognise their experiences as abusive until years later.

Society has conditioned many boys to believe that males are expected to welcome sexual attention regardless of context, age, or coercion.

Research has consistently shown that sexual abuse involving boys remains significantly underreported. One major reason is society’s continued reluctance to acknowledge that boys can also be victims of exploitation and coercion.

Equally concerning is the persistent assumption that women are incapable of committing serious sexual offences. While most sexual offending is perpetrated by men, female sexual offending is a recognised phenomenon within criminological literature.

However, it remains poorly understood and frequently minimised because it challenges deeply ingrained gender assumptions.

Protecting children requires consistency. Abuse cannot be taken seriously only when it fits familiar stereotypes. A child’s vulnerability does not change according to gender, nor does abuse become less harmful because the alleged offender is female.

This case should prompt a broader national conversation about how Malaysia understands sexual victimisation, institutional power, and child protection.

Public responses rooted in humour or disbelief do not merely reflect poor judgment; they reinforce a culture in which male victims are denied empathy while offenders may escape scrutiny because they do not fit society’s image of a predator.

The accused is entitled to due process, and the courts must ultimately determine guilt. However, the public reaction alone has already exposed a troubling reality: society remains far more comfortable recognising abused girls than abused boys.

A child subjected to sexual exploitation is a victim regardless of gender. That principle should never be negotiable.

The author, Dr Haezreena Begum Abdul Hamid is a Criminologist and Senior Lecturer at the Faculty of Law, Universiti Malaya.

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

-Focus Malaysia.