Students with learning disabilities need stronger safeguards against sexual violence

The All-Women’s Action Society (Awam) is deeply disturbed and firmly condemns the reported sexual abuse involving a 15-year-old student with learning disabilities by a teacher in Jasin, Malacca recently

The teacher in this incident deliberately exploited the vulnerabilities of the student and abused his power as a public educator.

Although schools are meant to be a safe space for children, the many cases of sexual violence against children in schools nationally tell us that not enough is being done to fight sexual violence among the teachers themselves.

The audacity of the teacher in this incident to commit this crime in front of other students in the staff room and then tell these students not to report the incident raises the question of the broader environment and whether sexual abuse is tolerated to the point that the teacher can act that way, as if there are no consequences.

Students with learning disabilities are at greater risks of sexual abuse for various reasons including the possibility of having trouble communicating what is happening, discrimination, a lack of understanding of their rights, and their complaints being misunderstood and disregarded as being a part of their disability.

All this makes it easy for others to force or manipulate them into sexual acts, as their disability may prevent them from stopping or defending themselves from what is happening.

They may also face severe psychological effects as they may have difficulty understanding what is happening and have trouble communicating or expressing their experience, which can lead to intense fear, confusion and self-blame, in addition to more long-term trauma.

It is therefore important that the authorities ensure that the survivors, especially those with disabilities receive appropriate follow-up psychological counselling, in addition to treatment for physical injuries, in order to tackle the potentially long-lasting and deeply damaging mental and emotional impact of sexual violence.

For over 40 years, Awam, along with other women’s organisations within the Joint Action Group for Gender Equality (JAG), has pushed back against gender-based violence and has called on all sections of society to come together to combat sexual violence.

While we call for action against perpetrators of sexual violence, it is not enough to simply respond after harm has been done.

The government must take action to prevent such incidents from occurring again and to strengthen reporting mechanisms so that children can come forward to report instances of sexual violence easily and without any fear.

Among the actions that the government should take include:

• Mandatory continuous training for teachers and school staff to understand and recognise signs of abuse, and to train them in how to communicate effectively with students who may struggle to report such incidents. There should also be clear student-teacher interaction guidelines with strict protocols including no unsupervised one-on-one situations in closed spaces, and strict rules against physical contact
• Accessible and child-friendly reporting mechanisms tailored to students with learning disabilities, including the use of visual aids, simplified complaints procedures and forms, and the option of reporting through a counsellor who is trained in disability-sensitive communication
• The introduction of comprehensive sexuality education that is also adapted for students with learning disabilities so that students can recognise inappropriate behaviour, are aware of their rights, and know what to do if they experience sexual violence

The issue of sexual violence against women and children needs to be prioritised.

Among the areas of concern is the under-reporting of sexual violence. Fear, stigma, self-doubt, intimidation and others factors make reporting incidences of sexual violence never easy for the survivors.

Awam would like to commend the courage of survivors of sexual violence for coming out to report these incidents.

Awam urges survivors of sexual harassment and violence, as well as those who need advice on gender-based violence, to reach out to Awam’s Telenita Helpline.

Telenita provides free confidential legal information and counselling services to survivors of gender-based violence. Survivors do not have to go through this alone.

Those who wish to contact us can do so using the hotline number provided below:

Telenita helpline: 016-2374 221 and 016-2284 221
Email: [email protected]

No child should be left behind when it comes to protection against sexual violence, especially those who are most at risk.

This means we must ensure that our schools, authorities and communities act collectively to create safe spaces where every child can be heard and protected.

While we must ensure that the full force of the law is used to punish perpetrators of sexual violence, we must also ensure that all students are better empowered and equipped to combat sexual predators. – Awam

Amanda Kong is the deputy president of the All-Women’s Action Society (Awan) deputy president and a disability rights advocate.

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