Minister Helps Bullied Boy, But Was Video Of Minor's Uncensored Face A Step Too Far?
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The Minister of Home Affairs, Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail, recently posted a video on his Instagram account (@saifnasution_) where he was speaking to a young boy in a village in Kulim, Kedah.
In the video, the Standard Six student said that he hasn't been going to school because he was allegedly being bullied by two fellow students.
When Saifuddin asked the boy how he was bullied, the young boy alleged that the bullies threatened him with sticks and even a knife. There was also mention of a parang (machete).
According to the victim, he said that the alleged bullying began when he was in Standard 5 and while the bullies were in Standard 6 at the time, meaning he has been a victim of abuse for a year now.
Police Take Action, Investigates Two Suspects in Alleged Bullying Case
Kedah police have located two suspects allegedly involved in the bullying case at a government school in Kulim which allegedly happened a year ago.
According to a Sinar Harian report dated 2 February, Kedah police chief Datuk Adzli Abu Shah said two youths aged 12 (at the time of the incident) and their parents have been identified.
"Action has been taken. We've identified and called both suspects and are carrying out an investigation to ensure bullying incidents don't happen again," he said.
In the same case, Adzli said early inspections found no marks of physical injury on the victim, seeing as how the incident occurred months ago. However, police continue to support the recovery and counselling process, including awareness campaigns to prevent similar incidents from recurring.
Does Saifuddin's Video Violate Child Act 2001?
In the home minister's video, the alleged bully victim's name, face and location were exposed.
According to Malaysia's Child Act 2001, the law protects the identity for children under 18 years of age in legal cases by making it an offence to publish identifying information such as the ones mentioned above.
Section 15 of the Act strictly prohibits media or individuals from publishing any information (names, photos, videos, addresses, schools) that could identify a child involved in legal proceedings.
Breaching Section 15 can lead to fines up to RM10,000 or imprisonment up to five years, or both.
The only exception is for missing children, where publicity aims to help locate them, as noted by Malaysia's National Human Rights Institution (SUHAKAM).