New laws are only the beginning

FOR too long, bullying in Malaysia has been treated as an unfortunate rite of passage. It has long existed in school corridors and is laughed off in workplaces or shrugged away as office politics.

It is not uncommon for parents to be told by teachers their child needs to toughen up, or for employees to hear that “this is just how the boss is”, or for friends to laugh off social media taunts.

Hoping to change this, Parliament passed amendments to the Penal Code that make bullying anywhere – in schools, at workplaces, and online – a crime.

Sections 507B to 507G of the Penal Code now criminalise conduct that causes harassment, alarm, psychological harm, or reputational damage.

We’re glad to note that the laws have caught up with society and made sure that cyberbullying, doxxing and intimidation can no longer be brushed aside as mischief but are recognised as threats to dignity, safety and even life itself.

When bullying drives a person towards self-harm or suicide, perpetrators can face up to 10 years in prison.

For schoolchildren, such conduct is no longer a matter of a stern warning from the headmaster.

For employees, it is no longer a matter of HR memos anymore.

For keyboard bullies hiding behind a screen, cruel words will not be ignored.

Bullies now face the prospect of a police report, an investigation and, ultimately, a jail sentence.

The government deserves credit for responding seriously to a problem that parents have long feared and victims have long endured.

We hope that this law is more than a bureaucratic exercise; we hope that it represents a cultural turning point.

However, laws cannot change a long-ingrained culture on their own. It will take a change in mindset.

Certainly it will take more than just words – more than the anti-bullying campaign recently launched by the Education Ministry that directs schools to have students chant “We are anti-bullying” at the start and end of each day.

Bullying thrives on silence, and that needs to be broken in every school, workplace, and on every social media platform.

Reporting mechanisms must be put in place, and they have to be transparent, safe, and free from retaliation – this is particularly important when authority figures often minimise bullying or, worse, perpetuate it themselves.

Children must be taught to speak up and be heard so they can be protected.

Equally, teachers and administrators must undergo training to identify signs of bullying and respond decisively.

Parents, too, must be part of this solution. It is not enough to simply demand that schools address the problem. The values of empathy and kindness must be nurtured at home.

There is also a need for awareness workshops and community projects involving students, teachers, and parents to shift attitudes in ways that the statute book alone cannot.

The workplace presents its own challenges.

In a culture where hierarchy is prized, some still equate intimidation with leadership.

They should take note that flexing muscles to demonstrate power is now a criminal offence.

The manager who humiliates subordinates, the colleague who spreads rumours, and the executive who uses social media to shame rivals are all subject to legal action.

Bullying in the office is no longer a matter that can be handled solely by HR mediation. It is a police matter.

There will be those who complain that this is overreach, that we risk criminalising everyday friction.

But harassment, humiliation and psychological abuse are not minor frictions. They are corrosive forces that destroy trust, productivity and lives.

To call them discipline problems is to trivialise suffering. To treat them as crimes is to acknowledge reality.

The passage of Malaysia’s anti-bullying law is a historic step.

It closes a gap that allowed bullies to operate with impunity, and it sends an unmistakable message: the days of shrugging off cruelty are over.

But the work is not finished.