Malaysia Tables Tough New Legislation to Tackle Student Bullying Crisis

Key Points:

• Malaysia’s Parliament has tabled the Anti-Bullying Bill 2025, which provides a legal definition of bullying and establishes an Anti-Bullying Tribunal
• The law signifies a major shift, moving responsibility for tackling bullying from being solely an internal school matter to a formalized civil legal process
• The legislation is a direct response to a surge in high-profile tragedies, including the recent death of 13-year-old Zara Qairina Mahathir

 Malaysia has taken a monumental step in protecting its youth with the tabling of the Anti-Bullying Bill 2025 in the Dewan Rakyat on Monday, December 1. The legislation is pointed towards confronting the escalating national crisis of school bullying, providing both a clear legal definition of bullying and a new civil mechanism for resolving complaints.

Notably, it is a critical point in the national approach, spurred by overwhelming public anger and a series of tragic incidents that have repeatedly shocked the nation’s conscience, Bloomberg reported today.

The Catalyst for Change: A Wave of Tragedies

The urgency of this law is highlighted by heartbreaking cases that have dominated headlines both in Malaysia and abroad. In Malaysia, the tragic death of 13-year-old Zara Qairina Mahathir in Sabah, who was found unconscious after what the media reported as a fall, sparked nationwide outrage after investigations uncovered allegations of severe and prolonged bullying. The case, where five teenagers were eventually charged with bullying offences, became a powerful symbol of the systemic failure to ensure Child Safety within educational institutions, as reported by The Independent.

Globally, similar incidents demonstrate the universal nature of this crisis. The tragic case of a Class 4 student, Amaira Kumar, who died by suicide after reportedly jumping from the fourth floor of her school building in Jaipur, India, highlights the devastating consequences of negligence. An investigation by India’s Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) found that the girl had faced relentless bullying for over 18 months and had approached her teacher five times in the last 45 minutes of her life, only to face an “aggressive response,” as reported by The Times of India.

Similar high-profile cases, like the 2017 death of T. Nhaveen in Malaysia, an Indian-origin teen brutally assaulted by peers, have consistently shown that bullying is a matter of life and death, driving the need for a legal framework that goes beyond disciplinary action.

The Shift in Responsibility and Legal Precedent

The core of the Anti-Bullying Bill 2025 lies in its establishment of an Anti-Bullying Tribunal. This quasi-judicial body is designed to complement, not replace, existing school committees. The key feature is the transfer of responsibility. As an example, no longer is the resolution of a bullying case solely dependent on the internal policies and political will of a school principal.

The Tribunal will hear complaints where school committees have failed to act or resolve the matter effectively. As reported by The Star, it has the power to order remedies such as:

• Financial compensation (up to RM250,000 in damages).
• Mandatory apologies.
• Removal of cyberbullying content.
• Mandatory counselling or parenting support sessions.

This sets a significant legal precedent. For the first time, civil liability and tangible financial penalties can be imposed without needing to navigate the slow, severe nature of the Criminal Court system. The law explicitly covers physical, verbal, psychological, and online abuse, defining bullying as “any wilful act… whether committed repeatedly or in a single severe incident, which causes physical, psychological or social harm to the victim.”

Effectiveness: Deterrence vs. Burden

The establishment of the Tribunal, which prioritises mediation and is not bound by the strict procedures of criminal court, offers a faster, more accessible, and less traumatic avenue for justice for the victim and their family. As Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said stated, the primary purpose is to strengthen alternative dispute resolution based on restorative justice principles, reported Yahoo News Malaysia. The financial penalty also introduces a concrete deterrent not just for the minor involved, but for the parents who will ultimately be responsible for the compensation.

However, there could be some potential burdens. While the new Tribunal is intended to be separate from the criminal courts, the increased complexity of mandatory committees within every educational institution, combined with the possibility of two parallel legal tracks (civil via the Tribunal and criminal via the Penal Code, which already criminalised bullying earlier in 2025), could lead to confusion and resource strain.

Furthermore, without adequate funding for more trained school counsellors, a major gap identified by experts, the law risks becoming an unfunded mandate, forcing overworked teachers to become legal compliance officers rather than educators. As noted in a discussion by The Century Foundation on anti-bullying laws in the U.S., legislation is ineffective without funding and accountability.