Nationwide 'School Walkout Day' to protest sexual harassment next week

 

A group is urging students and teachers to skip school or walk out from classrooms next week to protest sexual harassment in schools.

This comes after a string of sordid revelations of girls suffering harassment in schools for decades.

The Nationwide School Walkout Day (NWSD) Alliance said the protest can be done in several ways either this coming Thursday or Friday.

The first is for students - with consent from their parents or guardians - to not attend school for one day.

The second way is for students to walk out from classes for one period with support from either their teachers or the school.

The same can be done for those attending online classes, the group said in a statement yesterday.

Alternatively, students can show solidarity by wearing a white ribbon with a red stripe or pattern or make use of the #MakeSchoolASaferPlace hashtag.

"We believe that a coordinated walkout would be a powerful and necessary statement to show that we condemn sexual harassment.

"We also firmly stand by the notion of power in numbers, thus we call on students, teachers and members of the public to stand in solidarity with the victims," the NSWD Alliance said.

The protest comes with five demands, namely:

1. Students be given their right to privacy and safety when on school grounds.

2. For sexual harassment, abuse and assault to be recognised and treated as a serious offence in and outside a school by students, teaching staff, school boards and authorities.

3. For sexual harassment, abuse and assault be met with serious consequences and immediate action from the school authorities.

4. For all students who have come forward with their stories be listened to, respected, protected from further abuse and given any other necessary support.

5. For all students to receive protection and other forms of support while speaking up and protesting for their rights in and outside of school.

Over the past two weeks, there has been an uproar over the practice of period spot checks - which has allegedly been going on for 20 years - where girls are told to physically prove they are on their period.

The measures included showing their blood-stained sanitary pads, doing vaginal swabs 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.

Meanwhile, there has also been a public outroar after 17-year-old Ain Husniza Saiful Nizam exposed that her teacher allegedly made a rape joke in class.

The subsequent harassment of Ain on social media included lewd comments on her body, made by some who are allegedly school teachers and counsellors for school students.

The NSWD Alliance consists of education group Solidariti Pendidikan; anti-child sexual abuse group Monsters Among Us; youth movement Demokrat Kebangsaan and Rape Watchdog.

The planned protest is being supported by several groups, namely:

1. Women’s March MY

2. Gerak

3. Sekolah Semua

4. Undi18

5. Malaysian Youths for Education Reform (MYER)

6. Youths.my

7. Kryss Network

8. All Women’s Action Society (Awam)

9. Women’s Aid Organisation (WAO)

10. Pelangi Campaign

11. Sisters in Islam 

- Mkini