2007 08: Beaten up, stripped and photographed

The Star Online. News. Nation. Tuesday July 31, 2007

NINE secondary schoolgirls beat up their schoolmate mafia-style and took nude photographs of her after cornering her as she was on her way to a friend’s house, Harian Metro reported.

The daily reported on its front page that one of the girls and her friends approached the 16-year-old victim, demanding to know if she had called her gemuk (fat) behind her back, in Muadzam Shah, Rompin.

The victim repeatedly denied the accusation but the nine girls, not satisfied with her reply, beat her up and slapped her before stripping her naked, the daily reported.

The assailants then used a mobile phone to take pictures of the nude victim as she lay crying on the roadside.

After her attackers left, the victim returned home and related the incident to her family, who then took her to lodge a police report.

The victim received treatment at the Muadzam Shah Hospital for bruises. Police have detained the nine girls.

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Nine apologise to schoolmate

The Star Online. News. Nation. Saturday August 4, 2007

MUADZAM SHAH (Pahang): Nine female students from SM Keratong, Bandar Tun Razak here, who were involved in assaulting and taking nude photographs of their schoolmate last Friday have apologised to the 16-year-old victim.

The nine Form Four students cried as they asked for their friend’s forgiveness, accompanied by their mothers at a special gathering at the school yesterday.

Pahang education director Abdul Aziz Abdul Latiff said the case had ended harmoniously after Deputy Education Minister Datuk Noh Omar sent his special officer Shashim Shah Harun to help resolve the matter. – Bernama

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Bullying among girls getting more rampant

The Star Online. News. Nation. Tuesday August 7, 2007

I REFER to the report ‘Nine apologise to classmate” (The Star, Aug 4) regarding the case of nine girls of SM Keratong, Bandar Tun Razak, who bullied their classmate.

These girls at least had the courage to admit their wrongdoing, but what they did was a disgrace not just to their alma mater but also to their fellow classmates and their families.

This is a classic case of girls behaving badly or should I say “Mean Girls” in real life.

Many people assume that boys only bully but then again this is no longer true. Female students are as capable as their male counterparts in bullying their peers, and the damage they leave is very serious and sometimes for life.

Bullying among female students not only come in the form of physical abuse but also usually come in more subtle forms such as emotional and psychological abuse through telling lies, spreading rumours, playing mind games, hurling insults, social exclusion, and even making degrading remarks about the victim either face-to-face or behind her back to destroy the victim’s self esteem.

Bullying among girls is becoming rampant in many societies and it is a fact that must be taken into consideration.

Girls who think that bullying make them superior to their peers are the ones with the problem, not the victims.

Studies have shown that female bullies resort to bullying not only due to insecurity problems but also due to problems at home. Research shows female bullies are likely to end up continuing to bully into adulthood whether at home, within their social circle or at the workplace unless their bad behaviour is curbed as early as possible.

If we want to reduce the growing incidences of bullying among female students, families, school staff and communities need to work together in combating the problem.

Moreover, these bullies need to undergo counselling and therapy, just like their victim, so that they will not repeat their bad behaviour in the future.