Defining Bullying among Students from Criminal Law Perspective: Comparison between Malaysia and the Philippines

Muhamad Sayuti Hassan

Abstract

School bullying is not new, but it has been a long and constant problem. Bullying issues are often reported in the mass media and have garnered attention not only in Malaysia but also abroad. Today, bullying can no longer considered as a trivial social problem that can be taken lightly. Failure to address this issue will have bad consequences for students in particular. Various ways have been introduced to tackle this issue and one of them is through the enforcement of law. This study will focus on the bullying within the legal framework in Malaysia, especially in the context of its definition. Studies showed that while in Malaysia, there are alarming statistics about bullying, but little attention has been paid to the absence of any specific law dealing with bullying in Malaysia. To date, no statutory definition of bullying has been provided. This paper thus provides an overview of Malaysia’s legal framework of bullying compared with the Philippines law on bullying. Despite a number of definitions of bullying provided by the scholars, the paper concludes that to date, there are no specific law on bullying and its statutory definition in Malaysia. Such absence may not fully safeguard the interests of bullying victims comprehensively. The findings would give more clarity to the theoretical framework of bullying in Malaysia thus showing the commitment of the government towards preventing the rampancy of this issue through legal enforcement

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