Is suing effective to stop the bully menace?

PETALING JAYA: Should bullies be made to pay compensation to their victims?

Activists are divided on whether this is an effective deterrent against bullying in schools, following a recent High Court decision in Terengganu which ordered nine parties, including five former students, to pay RM616,634.20 to a former student who they bullied four years ago.

Parent Action Group for Education (PAGE) chairman Noor Azimah Abdul Rahim said a civil suit against bullies is one way to curb the menace.

But such cases should be widely publicised to school leaders and teachers, she said.

“It is not just about the money, although relative, but the humiliation involved having to face the law. It also goes on the students’ record and his or her future may be jeopardised,” she told FMT.

Azimah said parents of bullies should also be made accountable.

But child rights activist James Nayagam disagrees.

He said in the Terengganu case, it is four years too late.

“Money does not right the wrong,” said Nayagam. “We need restorative justice, not compensation.”

He said financial compensation to a bully victim gives the impression that money can settle the issue.

He said it is better if the victim, the bully, their families and the school come together for a solution. - FMT