COMMENT | The right to cyberbully?

COMMENT | Seventeen-year-old student Ain Husniza Saiful Nizam has drawn the spotlight for more than two weeks after she exposed how a physical education teacher nonchalantly made a joke about rape on a now-viral TikTok video.

This has kickstarted a firestorm calling for the reevaluation of how “rape culture” is normalised within the Malaysian education system with Ain being right at the centre of it (please refer to the heated conversation involving the National Union of the Teaching Professionals (NUTP) secretary-general, Harry Tan, during a media interview that captures the essence of this divide).

Like many other similar controversies involving non-celebrities or non-dignitaries, Ain drew the ire and attention of Malaysians' social media who either were highly critical of her approach or just downright engaged in unreserved cyberbullying.

Ain has been subjected to a continuous barrage of toxic, sexist and hateful comments thrown at her (most recently from her own school principal, who allegedly called her “devil spawn”). Adding to this, she has been unfairly attacked for her looks and demeanour, all because she had the audacity to speak out...