'I was strangled, kicked': Bully victim relates past ordeal at boarding school

Summary

• Mat Syah (not his real name) recounts the trauma of being bullied seven years ago at a boarding school.

• He says it was the senior students’ way of demonstrating power over juniors.

• While his father wanted to lodge police report, he backed out after considering the perpetrators’ future, but the school took disciplinary action.

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In this second edition of the story covering bullying cases in schools, Mat Syah (not his real name) related how being bullied at a boarding school has left deep emotional scars in him, even though the incident happened seven years ago.

Now 23 years of age, the youth recalled how he was bullied by senior students while he was in Form Two.

In an interview with Malaysiakini, he detailed how the bullying was not due to misconduct but simply because the seniors wanted to demonstrate power.

"That night, I was strangled using my own shirt until I hit the wall... a senior kicked me in the stomach until I had indigestion.

"They even told me, 'Don't touch your face, it will leave marks'," Mat Syah said.

Despite suffering physical injuries and his admission to a hospital for treatment - initially for suspected dengue fever - he was afraid to file a complaint.

It was only after undergoing a check-up at the hospital that he managed to muster enough courage to tell his parents about the incident.

Unfortunately, after the incident was reported, Mat Syah was not only shunned by his peers but he was also nicknamed “dormitory sycophant” by senior students who were offended by the disciplinary action taken against them.

"My mental state took a turn for the worse... I just wanted to protect myself," he said.

Although several perpetrators got suspended or expelled, Mat Syah said the students ostracised him instead.

His father initially wanted to file a police report but backed out as he feared for the perpetrators' future, so he left it to the school to take disciplinary action.

Still haunted by trauma

Although Mat Syah is now studying at a public university in Negeri Sembilan, he is still traumatised by the ordeal.

"Even now, when I look back, I keep (asking myself) why I was victimised just because they wanted to show off in front of their friends," he said.

Incidents like the one suffered by Mat Syah are not isolated cases.

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Recently, a bullying case involving students from the Seberang Perai Selatan Mara Science Junior College (MRSM) in Penang sparked public anger after a video showing the victim being roughed up went viral on social media.

The one-minute and 32-second video footage shows a group of male students smashing the head and body of another student lying on the bed.

They were also seen whipping the victim with a belt.

Majlis Amanah Rakyat chairperson Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki said the college’s disciplinary committee has recommended that the perpetrators be expelled.

Muar MP Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman had also called for the police to thoroughly investigate abuse and bullying cases at the boarding school.

Seberang Perai Selatan district deputy police chief Mohd Norazmi Abd Ghapar said his team has recorded statements from five of the seven Form Three students.

Two more students will be called to have their statements recorded soon, he added.

The case is being investigated under Section 323 of the Penal Code, which criminalises the act of voluntarily causing hurt.

It provides a punishment of a jail sentence of up to a year, a fine of not more than RM2,000, or both.

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