Malaysians reflect on rape culture after schoolgirl’s TikTok video goes viral
- Ain Husniza called out her teacher’s rape joke on TikTok, sparking a national conversation on misogyny in Malaysia
- Activists and politicians say sexual harassment is normalised in society, and that reforms are needed to deal with this issue in schools
April 23 was a regular day in school for 17-year-old Ain Husniza Saiful Nizam – until it wasn’t.
A PE teacher’s discussion about sexual harassment inexplicably led to him cracking a rape joke. He allegedly told the class, “if you want to rape someone, make sure they are above 18”.
The remark drew guffaws from the boys, while female students like Ain stayed silent, aghast. The teacher added that boys were unlikely to complain if they were raped because being subject to such an act was, in fact, sedap, or delicious.
Ain later called out her teacher on the TikTok app in a video that went viral, sparking a national conversation on sexual harassment, violence against women and entrenched misogyny in Malaysian culture. Weeks later, they still remain talking points.
Such monstrosity taking place in schools is way more common than we realise
Puteri Nuraaina Balqis, an activist, said the saga helped to shed light on what it was like to be a female student in Malaysia. While the authorities suggested Ain’s experience was an isolated one, Puteri said it was far from the case.
“Such monstrosity taking place in schools is way more common than we realise,” she told This Week in Asia.
