ANTIBULLYING BILL 2025 HOPES TO BECOME 'HERO FRIEND' TO CHILDREN - AZALINA

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 3 (Bernama) -- The Anti-Bullying Bill 2025 is expected to be a "hero friend" to children by protecting, providing reassurance and reassuring them that schools are a safe place to learn and grow.

Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said said this was because in drafting the Bill, she herself had heard the voices of children directly through special engagement sessions.

She said they shared their experiences as victims of bullying including insulting taunts and intimidation that affected their emotions and self-confidence.

“In the discussion, one of them, Rishvan’s younger brother, used the term “hero friend” to refer to a friend who helped and protected them when they faced bullying – a simple but meaningful concept about the need for peer support and a reassuring school environment.

“I hope that this Bill can be a “hero friend” to Rishvan’s younger brother and our children,” she said when tabling the Bill for its second reading in the Dewan Rakyat today.

Azalina said her party also received suggestions from the townhall session held in September and October, involving nearly 4,000 participants.

"From these sessions, a clear message resonated, namely that the people want clear national standards to address bullying. Almost all states are demanding a uniform definition of bullying, safe school guidelines, consistent complaint mechanisms and protection for teachers and students," she said.

As a complement to the townhall sessions, Azalina said that the Legal Affairs Division (BHEUU) of the Prime Minister's Department also launched a public feedback portal on the Anti-Bullying Bill 2025 with 509 responses received from students, parents, teachers, professional communities, civil society organisations and government agencies.

Therefore, she said the bill would outline categories of bullying activities that had never been clearly defined in any law before.

Elaborating further, Azalina said four challenges prevented the issue of bullying from being addressed thoroughly, including that the existing law was too crime-oriented while many victims needed rehabilitation and protection.

In addition, the mechanism for handling cases is highly inconsistent when the same complaint may be trivialised in school A but considered serious in school B, as well as some communities being less sensitive to subtle forms of bullying such as systematic marginalisation, constant mockery and psychological blackmail.

She said another challenge involved the standard of proof for crimes, which is beyond reasonable doubt, which is too high and unsuitable for children who often do not have physical evidence or witnesses.

-- BERNAMA