KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 27 — When her son was still in primary school, Prof Noor Aziah Mohd Awal, said he would avoid using the toilet in school at all costs.
“He said: mommy, I will never go to the school toilet because there will be seniors waiting in that toilet.”
During a webinar last October 25 on safety, inclusion and the right to protection for children with disabilities and rare diseases, Noor Aziah, who is the country’s first children’s commissioner at the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam), said she recently spoke to her child, who is now 32, and he told her: ‘Mom, I still remember what they did in the toilets.”
Her son recounted how his seniors (standard 5 and 6 students) would wait in the toilet and tried to take off junior boys’ trousers, among other things.
If her son who did not have a disability was afraid of being accosted by bullies in the toilet, imagine how scary the same prospect might be to a student with a disability, said Noor Aziah, who is a child and family law expert with Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM).
“It’s Not Even The Tip Of The Iceberg. The Iceberg Has Actually Fallen Apart”
Referencing the recent spate of violent and sexual crimes perpetrated by students, Noor Aziah said: “It’s not even the tip of the iceberg. The iceberg has actually fallen apart. The country really needs a proper solution.”
When she was the children’s commissioner, Noor Aziah said some parents told her their child was being bullied and abused in schools.
She helped them file complaints with the schools but the response from the headmasters was to ask if the child wanted to be transferred to another school.
She said parents would get very frustrated that instead of removing the bully or abuser, it was suggested that their child be removed instead.
“So these are things we feel over the years should have changed,” said Noor Aziah, adding that some children suffered terribly as a result.
“Some children I know were transferred from one school to another. They also had to see various counselors and attend counseling sessions. You destroy the child’s life entirely.”
The knee-jerk reaction when cases of bullying crop up is always to suggest that caning be allowed in schools.
However, when she was with Suhakam, Noor Aziah said she wrote to the Ministry of Education (MOE) to request that caning be forbidden in schools. “We know that harshness will only make children even harder, more violent and so on.”
Having To Function In An Environment That Does Not Accommodate Their Needs
Children with special needs are even more vulnerable to bullying and violence as they have to function in an environment that does not accommodate their needs.
Noor Aziah said in her consultations with children with disabilities, they told her they needed accommodations in school for their disabilities.
“For example, we have children who actually need sign language instructors in front of the class. You tell me how many schools have that kind of instructor? When the teacher turns to face the blackboard, that’s it, the children will not be able to hear anything.”
There are children in wheelchairs who said they’ve been in the same classroom throughout their entire primary schooling.
“They say: This is my classroom from standard one to standard six. And my friends say it is because of you that we are not able to move anywhere else because you cannot climb the stairs.”
She said schools have not even attempted to address these issues by installing lifts or constructing special lanes for these children.
“If all schools are able to accept these children, then they must be given what is rightful, their rights.”
Noor Aziah added that the MOE must also give special attention to these children and how they want to feel safe.
“If my son, who is not a PWD (person with disability), does not want to go to the toilet, what more if the school toilets are not even meant for a person with a disability.”
Neurodiversity, Physical Differences A Natural Part Of Human Variation
Shifting Malaysia’s education system from tokenistic integration to true inclusion requires a fundamental shift in mindset, infrastructure, and policy implementation, said Ras Adiba Radzi, president of Persatuan OKU Sentral.
The goal is to transform schools from places that merely tolerate children with disabilities to be a place where they can actively participate, be successful and valued, just like everyone else.
“School leaders, teachers and students must view neurodiversity and physical differences not as burdens or obstacles, but as a natural part of human variation that will enrich the classroom,” said Ras Adiba, adding that this will normalise interaction between children with disabilities and those without so that they learn to appreciate and respect each other.
“The core framework is actually universal design for learning, UDL, which means designing lessons, assessment and materials to be accessible for all. So, no one is left behind,” she said, adding that it has to be rigorously implemented and regularly reviewed with input from parents, health care professionals, and other stakeholders.
Resource allocation is also crucial to ensure that there are adequate professional staff such as teachers, therapists, and sign language interpreters, as well as support staff to meet the needs of children with disabilities, said Ras Adiba, who is a former senator who represented the disabled community in the Dewan Negara.
However, she acknowledged that there is currently an inadequate number of sign language interpreters in the country.
She suggested using closed captions or getting a sign language interpreter to sign through WhatsApp video if an interpreter is not available onsite.
Additionally, peer education should be implemented as a structured awareness initiative, Ras Adiba said.
“We used to have civic classes in school but we don’t have them anymore. It would be great if they could bring it back because then we can sit down and explain: what are rare diseases? What do our friends who are deaf, blind, physically disabled or have mental disorders, anxiety, depression (go through).
“This is something that everyone needs to hear because then we learn not to view (PWDs and people with rare diseases) as aliens, while we consider ourselves humans.”
Bleeding By The Side Of The Road
The point that ignorance breeds indifference and apathy was illustrated earlier in the webinar when Miza Marsya Roslan, a youth advocate for PWDs, shared a disturbing experience of not being able to get the help she needed when she had an accident in public.
Miza, who is also assistant secretary of Spinal Muscular Atrophy Malaysia, was going up a steep ramp on her wheelchair when she tipped over backwards and hit her head.
“I think there was someone that instantly came to sit me up and then he disappeared. And it took maybe 15 minutes before I could convince someone to let me use their phone so that I can call for help,” she recounted.
“And then maybe another 30 minutes of just sitting on the side of the road bleeding before I even got any help. So I think (it was) close to an hour (that) I was just sitting there, bleeding, not being able to do anything.”
It is important to have people who understand (the issues that PWDs and people with rare diseases face) so they can get the support they need, Ras Adibas said. If children with disabilities cannot get the support they need in schools, their problems will be compounded.
“For us paraplegics, it’s hard enough to get into the toilet. We go to the toilet and we can’t even get in and now we have to worry about bullies,” Ras Adibas said, referencing Noor Aziah’s son’s experience.
She added that it was important to have strong formal partnerships and empowered committee members who can advocate and advise on school policies and the environment in schools. “This ensures that voices that are central to the inclusion process (are heard).”
Lack Of Accountability Mechanism, Culture Of Impunity Must Be Addressed
Ras Adiba said that accountability was also crucial to creating a safe environment in schools for children.
“That’s so super important because without accountability, (people) can do it and get away with it. The failure of progressive policies on paper to translate into real protection often stems from a lack of clear and enforced accountability mechanism and a culture of impunity.
“For schools to effectively act when bullying or discrimination occurs, they have to make sure that they have this mechanism because if they don’t, nothing is going to happen.
“Everyone is going to say: Oh, we’re going to sweep it under the carpet. Oh, we’re going to take away the recording and throw it away. This has to stop.
“When people are silent in the face of bullying and discrimination against the most vulnerable members of our society like our children, it is complicity.”
- This article was amended on October 28, 2025 to provide a clearer description of the bullying that took place as described in the third and fourth paragraph.
