Religious group tells MCMC to curb online access to porn, violent materials

Summary

• CFM believes recent incidents of school violence are not isolated tragedies but signs of a deeper systemic failure that demands urgent and decisive action.

• The government and the Education Ministry must respond with urgency to this deepening crisis in safety and morality, group adds.

The Christian Federation of Malaysia (CFM) has urged MCMC to study and introduce policies that would safeguard children's mental health, including guidelines to curb easy access to pornographic and violent content online.

This followed a recent spate of incidents at schools, which saw a female student fatally stabbed in Selangor, while two female students were gang-raped at schools in Malacca and Kedah.

In a statement, CFM chairperson Reverend Eu Hong Seng also called on the government to take concrete measures to restore safety, respect and accountability in schools.

"These horrific incidents have shaken the conscience of our nation and exposed a grave crisis in the safety and moral integrity of our education system, and the need to re-examine the way our children are raised in the new era of social media.

"CFM believes these are not isolated tragedies but signs of a deeper systemic failure that demands urgent and decisive action.

"CFM calls upon the government and the Education Ministry to respond with urgency to this deepening crisis in safety and morality.

"It is time to confront the reality of gender-based violence in schools and the rising tide of bullying and aggression among students," he said.

Train teachers to respond

According to Eu, teachers and educators must be trained to recognise and respond to children who are at risk of gender-based violence, and promote a moral and ethical school environment.

Every school must be made a place where students are safe, respected and shaped in character and conscience, he added.

"CFM also urges MCMC to act firmly to study and introduce policies that safeguard our children's mental health, such as guidelines to curb the easy access to pornographic and violent online content.

"This will prevent further erosion of the moral fabric of our society," Eu said.

On Tuesday, a 16-year-old female student at a Bandar Utama school died after being stabbed by a 14-year-old male student using a knife.

This case came barely two weeks after another disturbing incident in Malacca, where four teenagers were arrested for allegedly raping a Form Three student in a classroom on Oct 2.

Yesterday, another shocking case was reported after police nabbed four teenagers over a suspected statutory rape case, which allegedly happened multiple times at a school in Baling, Kedah, from May to August.

Addressing sexual violence

Putera MIC, in a separate statement, has welcomed the Education Ministry's plan to launch immediate reforms on the current education system and mechanisms to strengthen student safety and well-being.

It said one of the plan components - to introduce reproductive and social health education at schools - is very important towards addressing sexual violence against children via awareness programmes and specific interventions.

"However, we want to emphasise that implementing this must not be merely to fulfil formal requirements.

"Past experiences have shown that civic and physical education subjects are often used to teach core subjects, which undermines the effectiveness of the education.

"Reproductive health education must be more than just an intervention after an incident. It should provide early prevention against sexual harassment, rape, teenage pregnancy, and other unhealthy symptoms," said the group chief, Dr Shatesh Kumar Sangar.

Adding further, he said students must also be taught about sexual violence issues and the legal ramifications of such crimes.

They include the prison punishment that awaits offenders.

"This is not to scare the children but to develop them towards being a sensitive, knowledgeable, and responsible human."

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