MELAKA: The Melaka Action Group for Parents in Education (Magpie) has called on the Education Ministry and Malaysian Communication and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) to impose stronger measures to curb access to online pornography following the alleged gang-rape of a female student at a secondary school here.
Its chairman Mak Chee Kin said the incident is symptomatic of a deeper moral and regulatory failure.
"This is not the first time such cases have been reported in Melaka.
"We mustn't forget the 2017 case where a Year One boy was accused of raping a kindergarten girl in Melaka after copying what he saw in explicit content,” he told The Star on Monday (Oct 13).
Mak said stakeholders must look into controlling undesirable online content from reaching children by creating awareness among parents to monitor their kid's online activities.
"The two ministries must work together in finding ways to embark on campaigns to encourage parents to act as gatekeepers and monitor children’s online activities," he said.
Mak said attempts by some parties to pin the blame on the secondary school’s management over the incident were misplaced, given that such issues have occurred in the state previously.
Mak said the school has a long-standing reputation for academic and co-curricular excellence.
"Its teachers are dedicated and hardworking and it would be unfair to allow one incident to tarnish its record,” he said.
He said Magpie supports barring the four suspects from sitting the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examination.
"Those involved should be treated as offenders, not as students preparing for exams,” he said.
Mak also called for a re-evaluation of disciplinary methods in schools.
"If the cane is to be effective, parents’ mindset must change.
"In the 1970s, parents would double-punish at home if children misbehaved in school, and that discipline helped keep students in line,’ he said.
On Oct, a Form Three student is believed to have been raped by two senior students.
The assault allegedly occurred in a classroom at about 2.50pm and was recorded and witnessed by two other students on mobile phones.
It was revealed after a video was shared among students before being reported to teachers and the victim’s mother on Oct 10.
The victim’s mother then lodged a police report, and all four suspects were detained for questioning.
The case is currently being investigated under Section 375B of the Penal Code, which carries a sentence of between 10 and 30 years imprisonment.
