KUALA LUMPUR - The growing number of violent cases involving young people, particularly women attacked by people they know, is a growing concern.
Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said said the situation needed to be viewed more seriously following various incidents involving the group reported recently.
She said various aspects needed to be examined, including the possibility of gender-based violence, as well as a sense of entitlement that could drive a person to act violently when their wishes are rejected.
"Recently, there have been many deaths or murders in schools and involving university students, and I see that, broadly speaking, many of the victims are women. Then, those responsible are people they know. They could be classmates or faculty friends.
"It seems there is gender-based violence, and I do not know whether it is a response to rejection, jealousy and so on, but what concerns me is that women are becoming victims of violent situations.
"So, I believe this matter needs to be examined in depth," she told a press conference at Parliament here on Wednesday.
Elaborating further, Azalina, who is also Pengerang Member of Parliament, urged individuals who become victims of violence to immediately report the matter to the authorities.
She said taking immediate action was important not only to seek justice, but also to protect lives from becoming the next victims.
"Therefore, whenever any violence or bullying occurs, report it immediately because we cannot rely on teachers to monitor every student's behaviour, given the already heavy workload faced by educators," she said.
Meanwhile, she also called for the Anti-Bullying Tribunal to be strengthened to raise awareness among students and encourage them to lodge complaints promptly.
She said such awareness was important in providing an intervention channel to address cases of harassment, bullying or violence involving victims.
"Students need to know that they have channels to seek help if reports of bullying or harassment do not receive appropriate action from the school," she said.