KUALA LUMPUR: The government wants schoolchildren to make use of the newly launched online complaints portal under the Anti-Bullying Tribunal, as part of efforts to ensure victims have direct access to justice when bullying cases are not adequately resolved.
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said stressed that raising awareness among students about their rights and the tribunal’s online registration platform would be a key priority moving forward.
“Having the law is one factor, but implementation and application of the law are even more important.
“More importantly, we want to create awareness among schoolchildren so that they understand their rights,” she told reporters after launching the Anti-Bullying Tribunal on Tuesday (June 16).
The online portal, accessible at https://tab.bheuu.gov.my/, allows complaints to be lodged directly with the tribunal.
Azalina said her ministry would work closely with agencies such as Majlis Amanah Rakyat (Mara) and the Education Ministry to conduct more online engagement sessions and outreach programmes to familiarise students with the mechanism.
She said the tribunal was established in response to the increasing number of serious bullying cases, including incidents that had resulted in deaths.
“We have recorded 14,000 bullying cases.
“The purpose of establishing the tribunal, together with an online complaints platform and physical hearing facilities, is to send a clear message to children that bullying is a serious matter and action can be taken through this channel,” she said.
Under the system, she said, schools will remain the first line of response in handling bullying complaints, but cases can be escalated to the tribunal if parties are dissatisfied with the outcome.
“If a bullying case occurs in school, the school is responsible for resolving it.
“If the school fails to do so and any party is dissatisfied, they can bring the matter before the tribunal.
“That is the two-tier approach we are introducing,” she said.
Asked whether the law could eventually be expanded to cover individuals above the age of 18, Azalina said the government would first undertake a comprehensive study as directed by the cabinet.
“The priority now is to focus on schoolchildren,” she added.
