Women, Family, and Community Development Minister Rina Harun expressed shock over the menstrual period spot checks conducted on female students in schools.
She said she will engage the relevant authorities to ensure this practice ends.
"This is unacceptable and shouldn't happen in schools, I take this seriously.
"I will follow up with the relevant ministries, such as the Education Ministry, and Majlis Amanah Rakyat (Mara) so that this doesn't happen again.
"This is very shocking, it is unimaginable," Rina was quoted as saying by Bernama.
Yesterday, Malaysiakini reported that in multiple schools, girls have to undergo “period spot checks” where they are told to physically prove they are on their period - through means that violate their privacy.
This was according to current students and those who left school up to 20 years ago.
The measures included showing their blood-soaked sanitary pads, doing swabs of their vagina with either cotton buds, tissues, or their fingers or having a teacher, warden or school prefect pat them down at the groin to feel if they are wearing a sanitary pad, they said.
Mara chairperson Azizah Mohd Dun said she was opposed to the practice and would review the complaints. Mara oversees several boarding schools where the spot checks purportedly occur.
Meanwhile, Deputy Education Minister Muslimin Yahaya said yesterday that he still had not received any information on the matter and as such, was reserving his comments.
Among those who have spoken out against the practice include Penang mufti Wan Salim Wan Mohd Noor, former education minister Maszlee Malik and various women leaders and NGOs. - Mkini
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