Inspired by a bullying workshop, teen advocate Jessie Lee now pushes for stronger school protections through Malaysia’s Children’s Consultative Council.

JESSIE Lee Jie Xing was 15 yrs old when she attended a workshop on bullying in April 2024, which according to her became a ‘turning point’ in her life. The content and discussions on bullying led her to join a Children’s Consultative Council (CCC) in December 2025, where she worked towards raising awareness and also advocate for stronger protection and support systems for children.

“I felt empowered to become a child advocate because I did not want other children to experience the pain and struggles that I, along with many others, had gone through. I wanted to stand up for those who feel unheard and to give a voice to children who may not have the courage or platform to speak up for themselves,” she said.

The CCC comes under the Office of the Children’s Commissioner (OCC) and forms part of the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (SUHAKAM).

Lee, who turns 17 in March this year, regularly attends and also conducts online CCC meetings, where current issues affecting children have been discussed extensively.

“The CCC itself does not submit proposals directly to the government. We generally present them to various platforms such as the Parliamentary Special Select Committee (PSSC) on women, children and community development, chaired by Puchong MP Yeo Bee Yin, which focuses on school bullying, advocating for the rights of children in conflict with the law.

Another platform for our proposals to be heard, the All-Party Parliamentary Group Malaysia (APPGM), a cross-party parliamentary group focused on advancing the welfare, protection and rights of children in Malaysia.

Is bullying on the rise in schools?

Lee also believes after observation at her own secondary school, and also in discussions with other children, in her CCC committee that cases of bullying incidents in schools have increased,

“Personally I believe bullying is on the rise because of increased exposure to social media and digital platforms. Cyberbullying allows harmful behaviour to continue beyond the school environment and reach a much wider audience.

“Many students lack proper guidance on empathy, emotional regulation, and respectful communication.

“There is also pressure to fit in, seek validation online, or even the need to gain popularity can contribute to negative behaviour,” she shared.

Are schools doing enough?

“While some schools have taken steps to address bullying, I believe more needs to be done to address the issue.

“Many schools have rules and disciplinary measures in place, but prevention and early intervention strategies are sometimes not strong enough.

“There is often a gap between having policies on paper and effectively implementing them in everyday day school life,” added Lee.

What more needs to be done?

According to Lee, schools should place greater emphasis on early detection and prevention.

“Teachers and staff should be trained to identify early warning signs of bullying or possible violence.

“Schools should also conduct regular safety audits, anonymous reporting systems (where students can report bullying without being identified), and stronger counselling support for both victims and perpetrators.

“More importantly, schools should foster a culture of empathy, inclusion and open communication so that students feel safe speaking up,” she said.

Lee, working together with her committee have come up with various proposals and one proposal, which has been successfully accepted, regular safety audits in schools to evaluate risk areas and improve student protection.

With several cases hitting the headlines recently, it cannot be denied that bullying continues to be a focus of attention in schools.

In Malaysia, reported school bullying cases rose from 3887 in 2022 to 5891 in 2023, with over 11,600 students involved by October 2024.

Main causes of bullying

Chris Ng, principal of a private international school, feels one of the main causes of bullying is how children pick on those different from them.

“They become an easy target. The sad truth is that any child can become a victim.

“Moreover, bullying is not an individual act. Children want to belong; even the introverts can be persuaded to target another if they chose to fit in with the group.

“Also, children need to be educated on what constitutes bullying. Many children are not made aware that their actions are wrong,” he said.

“It is a vicious cycle,” he said.

 The Sun Malaysia