A COALITION of civil society organisations has strongly condemned the recent incidents of violence involving schoolchildren in Malaysia, including the alleged gang rape of a 15-year-old girl by four schoolboys in Melaka and the alleged murder of a 16-year-old girl by a younger male schoolmate in another case.
In a joint statement issued today, the groups expressed deep shock and outrage over what they described as “devastating violations of human life, dignity, and the safety of our schools”. They extended solidarity to the victims and their families, while urging the authorities to ensure justice and systemic reforms within the education system.
“These acts expose deeper societal failures in how our children are socialised — particularly the normalisation of harmful patriarchal masculinity that has culminated in alleged rape and murder,” the statement read.
The coalition, comprising more than 50 civil society organisations and individuals, criticised the Ministry of Education (MOE) for what they called a lack of “systemic and meaningful change”, citing past controversies such as the Zara Qairina bullying case and the ministry’s reference to gang rape as “sexual misconduct”.
The groups urged immediate and child-sensitive investigations by both the criminal justice system and the MOE to identify lapses in school safety policies. They called for the findings of the MOE’s investigations to be made public and demanded full legal accountability for all perpetrators.
They also called for holistic support for victim-survivors, including medical care, psychological first aid, crisis response, and safe reintegration into school and society.
“Accountability and rehabilitation must go hand-in-hand with protection and justice for victim-survivors,” they said, adding that both the rights of children in conflict with the law and those of victims must be upheld.
The groups stressed that while children accused of crimes must be treated with dignity and given fair trials under the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), this must not come at the expense of victim safety and dignity.
“We must remind ourselves that the right to education of any child – including the right of a child in conflict with the law to sit for public examinations – must not be denied arbitrarily. Such decisions should be guided by clear, professional risk assessments, not public anger nor the presumption that things should continue as normal. The safety and well-being of victim-survivors and other students must take utmost priority. We believe that there are practical ways forward that could balance both sets of rights and priorities, such as allowing the boys to sit for public examinations in a place of detention outside of their school environment.
“Above all, privacy, dignity and due process must be upheld for all minors involved — victims and suspects alike,” the statement added.
The coalition also cautioned the media and public against sharing the identities or images of minors involved in such cases. It warned against stigmatising language that labels minors as “mentally ill” or associates violence with disability, calling such narratives “harmful, inaccurate and distracting from accountability”.
“Protecting the children’s identities and the integrity of investigations must never be sacrificed in favour of public curiosity or sensationalism,” the statement said.
The coalition called on the MOE, law enforcement, and child protection agencies to strengthen child-centred safety mechanisms in schools, enforce zero-tolerance policies against abuse, and provide training for teachers and staff.
They also urged the government to introduce preventive education on gender-based violence, consent, and respect; eliminate toxic masculinities; and ensure comprehensive sexuality education from primary school.
In addition, the groups proposed scaling up mental health support for students and extending these measures to informal learning facilities and marginalised communities.
“Justice must be done, and it must be done fairly, in a way that protects all children and upholds the rule of law. We must confront and overcome the profound systemic failures that have enabled such violence to occur, and restore trust in our schools as spaces of learning and safety,” the statement concluded.
The statement was endorsed by the Joint Action Group for Gender Equality (JAG), the Sexual Offences Against Children and Evidence of Child Witness Act (SOAC & ECWA) Advocacy Group, and several other civil society organisations.
The list is as follows:
Joint Action Group for Gender Equality (JAG) Member Organisations:
- Women’s Centre for Change, Penang (WCC)
- Autism Inclusiveness Direct Action Group (AIDA)
- Women’s Aid Organisation (WAO)
- Association of Women Lawyers (AWL)
- SIS Forum Malaysia (SIS)
- Justice for Sisters
- Sarawak Women for Women Society (SWWS)
- All Women’s Action Society (AWAM)
- Persatuan Kesedaran Komuniti Selangor (EMPOWER)
- Perak Women for Women Society (PWW)
- Tenaganita
- KRYSS Network
- Sabah Women’s Action Resources Group (SAWO)
- Family Frontiers
- Persatuan Sahabat Wanita Selangor (PSWS)
Sexual Offences Against Children & Evidence of Child Witness Act (SOAC & ECWA) Advocacy Group Member Organisations:
- Voice of The Children
- CRIB Foundation (Child Rights Innovation & Betterment)
- Protect and Save the Children
- End CSEC Network
- Equal Wings
- ENGENDER
- Johor Women’s League (JEWEL)
Other Civil Society Organisations:
- Martabat Untuk Semua Petaling Jaya
- Jaringan Kampung Orang Asli Semenanjung Malaysia (JKOASM)
- Jaringan Orang Asal SeMalaysia (JOAS)
- Pertubuhan Jaringan Kebajikan Komuniti (JEJAKA)
- HAYAT
- SIUMAN Collective
- UCSI College
- The OKU Rights Matter Project
- Development of Human Resources for Rural Areas (DHRRA)
- SEED Malaysia
- PLUHO (People Like Us Hang Out!)
- Life Under Umbrella
- Pertubuhan Pembangunan Kendiri Wanita dan Gadis (WOMEN:girls)
- Malaysian Women’s Action for Tobacco Control and Health (MyWATCH)
- Orphancare Foundation
- National Human Rights Society (HAKAM)
- Community Action Nexus Berhad
- Legal Dignity
- Aliran
- Kolektif Feminis Malaysia
- Centre for Independent Journalism (CIJ)
- Society for the Promotion of Human Rights (PROHAM)
- Malaysian Collaborative Practice Group (MCPG)
- Village Vision
- Women for Equality Association
- Suara Rakyat Malaysia (SUARAM)
- Reproductive Health Association of Kelantan (ReHAK)
- Kita Family Podcast
Individuals:
- Mary Shanthi Dairiam, Former UN CEDAW Committee Member
- Dato’ Dr Amar-Singh HSS, Consultant Paediatrician, Child and Disability Activist
- Ivy Josiah, Gender Consultant
- Yuenwah San, Disability Rights and Intersectionality Advocate
- Hasbeemasputra Abu Baker, Disabled Human Rights Defender
- Noor Yasmin Abdul Karim, President, CBR Network Malaysia
- Rizlan Ghazali, Lawyer, NGI
For further information, the public may contact Karen Lai, Programme Director of the Women’s Centre for Change (WCC), at 016-4187535.