ANTI-BULLYING BILL TO BE TABLED IN DEWAN RAKYAT ON DEC 1 - AZALINA

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 25 (Bernama) -- The Anti-Bullying Bill will be tabled for first reading in the Dewan Rakyat on Dec 1, said Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said.

She said the proposed law received Cabinet approval on Nov 21 after it was presented to the Parliamentary Select Committee on Women, Children and Community Development on Nov 19.

“The first reading is scheduled for Dec 1, 2025, and a detailed briefing will be given to Members of Parliament on the same day to explain the committee structure, the tribunal’s jurisdiction and the implementation mechanism,” she said in a written reply at the Dewan Rakyat today.

The written reply was issued in response to a question from Dr Kelvin Yii Lee Wuen (PH-Bandar Kuching) on the government’s plans to introduce new legislation to address bullying.

Azalina said the drafting of the bill was undertaken through comprehensive engagement, including 12 town hall sessions in September and October 2025 involving between 300 and 400 participants, comprising principals, teachers, Parent-Teacher Associations, relevant agencies, as well as pupils and tertiary students.

She said the bill provides, for the first time, a clear and comprehensive legal definition of bullying that covers physical, verbal, and online elements.

With this standardised definition, she said, all quarters, including educational institutions, enforcement agencies, parents and the community, will have a consistent point of reference for prevention, enforcement and rehabilitation.

Azalina said the bill will also grant educational institutions clear autonomy to use internal committees as the first line of prevention to detect, manage and report bullying cases in a structured and integrated manner.

“If a case cannot be resolved by the committee, the bill establishes an Anti-Bullying Tribunal mandated to offer remedies such as protection, counselling and rehabilitation through a non-adversarial, child-friendly process.

“This approach ensures that no victim is left without adequate protection, and that the civil framework focuses on strengthening prevention mechanisms, victim protection and rehabilitation of perpetrators,” she said.

She said the bill creates a legal framework that emphasises restorative and inclusive elements to guide, rehabilitate and develop children’s emotional well-being and character, shaping a generation that upholds the values of respect, courtesy and dignity.

The bill also strengthens alternative dispute resolution, including restorative mediation, ensuring that parents play an essential role and that both victims and perpetrators receive long-term support.

-- BERNAMA