Histeria The Series Made Us Question the Bullying & Sexual Harassment Culture In Malaysian Schools

The inclusion of issues such as bullying and sexual harassment opens up a whole new dimension of storytelling possibilities, and it made us think about the issues that currently still exit in schools.

The first Histeria came out in 2008 and nothing much has changed since then, huh?

If you were a student in the Malaysian school system, you must have heard or at least seen some form of bullying or sexual harassment during your younger years. These two forms of abuse have existed even before the establishment of proper education systems. In fact, this problem isn’t exclusively Malaysian as every country faces the same headache of lowering the number of cases year by year.

What’s mind-boggling is that these cases don’t just involve students but also teachers, educators and wardens. Based on a survey done by the All Women’s Action Society (AWAM), almost 80% of sexual harassment cases involved school authorities.

Is 1,145 a small number? How many need to occur before it’s a problem?---Our full report is now up to read in its entirety at https://t.co/LCbhLaSFKB #MakeSchoolaSaferPlace #SaveTheSchools #JomCEDAW pic.twitter.com/snIeNF0NOQ

— All Women’s Action Society (AWAM) (@AWAMMalaysia) November 30, 2021

Last year alone, Malaysia made international headlines with the famous Ain Husniza case; who claimed that her teacher allegedly harassed her in class. The case even sparked a mini #MeToo movement among students; showcasing the ugly side of the education system after years of gaslight and neglect for the whole world to see.

hi. harini ain tiba-tiba terima surat tuntutan atas "pernyataan-pernyataan fitnah"dlm surat ni ain diberi 7 hari untuk untuk semua tuntutan ni, antaranya untuk membayar RM1,000,000 dalam gantirugi.all i ask is semua doakan urusan ain dipermudahkan :') #MakeSchoolASaferPlace

— ain #MakeSchoolASaferPlace (@ainhsaifulnizam) August 4, 2021

However, Ain received almost little to no support from the authorities and her surrounding. Sadly, she had to move away from her hometown in Puncak Alam to Cheras in order to escape the pressures of her own community. Luckily, she received a scholarship from a private school to continue her studies there. But what about the ones who aren’t lucky enough?

This year, the Kelantanese police released a statement of investigating yet another sodomy case in one of the local Tahfizs. According to the report, the 30-year-old warden allegedly sodomized one of his students since 2018 - which means the victim endured such torture for 4 years straight before any action was taken against the educator.

So the question is; what needs to be done here? Will we have to forever be worried about the safety of our students?

For Educators: Updated training

Bully and harassment cases stem from various factors. As educators, you need to set a great example for your students as you are indeed, the guardians of your students while they’re in the school compound.

With the safety of our students in mind, an improved training module with anti-bullying and sexual harassment as the main focus is sorely needed, especially aiding students in adjusting to the new normal in this post-pandemic era. This new era should not just come with SOPs, but new mindsets and outcomes too—better ones, for sure.

For Students: Sex Education

Here it is; the discussion that no one wants to have - sex education. In order to protect our students, we need to educate them. Students must be able to identify the difference between jokes and harassment.

They need to understand they have every right to refuse and stand up against intimidation, touch or any form of mental abuse as well. Judging from the responses from the Ain Hasniza case alone, it is clear that many students hesitated to report their cases to the authorities and some even doubted themselves and their experiences.

Education will equip them with the necessary tools in surviving not just in school, but in the real world too.

For Everyone: Awareness and Open Dialogues Are Welcome

If the system refuses to evolve to the current times, we can only rely on ourselves. As human beings, we need to constantly open our hearts to listen to our loved ones, and create a safe space for them to confide in and be there when it matters. Awareness and dialogues are key in educating people on ways to deal with such conflicts.

Hence why we are glad to see many content creators go the extra mile to address such issues on their own respective scales. Take Histeria for example, a new Astro Original series starring Mia Sara Shauki, Liyana Jasmay, Amelia Christi and Sharifah Aryana.

The series explores the supernatural happenings in an all-girl boarding school that rocks the whole institution with murders and drama. At first glance, Histeria may look like a horror flick that’s ready to make you stay up at night but as you delve deeper into the conversations and conflicts, the series addresses issues such as bullying and harassment.

Beyond the jump scares, eerie music and gore, Histeria offers a trip into the eyes of a bully victim where the audience can feel, see and empathize with her suffering.

The reality is, that it’s certainly easier to learn something valuably critical from a movie than from a textbook, especially when you least expect it—and Histeria offers just that.

All in all, we Malaysians need to take good care of ourselves and each other. Bullying and sexual harassment come from a rotten humanistic root that needs to be chopped off from the whole tree and frankly, we can only do that together as a community.