Ain Husniza Saiful Nizam, a 17-year-old student, is being given rape threats after she called out her teacher for mocking rape. According to Ain, her teacher said, “If you want to rape someone, do not rape those below 18 years old, rape those above 18 years old.”
The “joke” cracked by the teacher offended Ain, and us, too. We at MyShorts lend our support to Ain opine that what she did was the need of the hour – there should be no place for misogyny in Malaysia. And anyone who tries to normalise or joke about crime against women should be called out and penalised.
However, the “Joke” and subsequent backlash that Ain received shows the true face of our society and poses serious questions – do we really value our women and care about their rights? Ain’s school, which should have actually sacked the teacher, instead issued a warning to Ain. While there was no action against the teacher, the teenager was so troubled that she is now scared to go to school. More than that, some monsters in our society were highly offended with a girl voicing her concerns that they issued rape threats against Ain. The biggest question the entire episode poses to us – where are we moving towards a society?
We demand that police takes a suo moto action and arrests those who issued threats to Ain. The monsters need to name and shame. Moreover, Ain should be given security and any other support needed in this difficult time.
Girls like Ain are the ones who make this country a better society. We salute Ain for her courage and call upon the government to honour for what she did.