Azalina calls for in-depth look into violence against young women

 The law and institutional reform minister expresses concern over rise in the number of cases involving students.

Law and institutional reform minister Azalina Othman Said said that in many of the cases, the alleged perpetrators were often people the victims knew, such as classmates or university friends. (Bernama pic)

PETALING JAYA:

Law and institutional reform minister Azalina Othman Said has called for an in-depth examination of the causes behind recent cases of violence and murder involving young people, particularly women, saying they may point to a wider issue of gender-based violence.

Azalina said the rise in such cases recently was increasingly worrying and must be taken seriously, Sinar Harian reported.

“Recently, there have been many deaths or murders in schools and involving university students, and I notice that, broadly speaking, many of the victims were women,” she was quoted as saying at a press conference in Parliament today.

“Those responsible are people they knew, perhaps classmates or faculty friends. It seems there is gender-based violence, and I do not know whether it is a response to rejection, jealousy or something else.

“But what concerns me is that women are becoming victims of violent situations. So I believe this needs to be examined in depth,” she said.

Her remarks follow the case involving a 16-year-old student, Irene Sofiya Khairoul Faisal, who was found dead in a school hall at Yong Peng, Johor, by her grandmother, who went to search for her when she did not return home after a tuition class.

Bukit Aman police said an autopsy revealed that the student had died from blunt force trauma to the head.

Three 16-year-old male students have since been arrested to assist in the murder probe, and one of them has been remanded for six days until Oct 9.

Azalina urged victims of violence to lodge reports with the authorities immediately, saying prompt action was important not only to seek justice but also to prevent further harm.

“That is why, whenever there is violence or bullying, report it immediately. We cannot rely on teachers to monitor every action by students because educators already have a heavy workload,” she said.

She also called for the Anti-Bullying Tribunal to be strengthened to raise awareness among students about reporting incidents promptly.

The tribunal could serve as an avenue for intervention in cases involving harassment, bullying or violence.

“Students need to know that they have channels to seek help if reports of bullying or harassment do not receive appropriate action from their schools,” she said. - FMT