‘Rape joke’ pressure forced family to move, says Ain’s father
Saiful Nizam Ab Wahab says the family suffered harassment after his daughter Ain Husniza challenged a teacher for making a joke on rape.
PETALING JAYA: Standing up against a teacher and the authorities for trivialising rape in class has cost Ain Husniza Saiful Nizam and her family dearly.
Her family had to uproot from Puncak Alam to Cheras after facing much pressure from the school, the students and the neighbourhood, according to her father, Saiful Nizam Ab Wahab.
He said the situation became so bad after the incident in April last year that he felt it became pointless to battle the school and society as the family was suddenly made to feel they were perpetrators of the whole episode.
Saiful said the family did not appeal against her expulsion, for not attending school for three days. “My daughter was made to look like the cause of the incident when she was actually a victim,” he said.
Ain’s problems began when she went public with claims that her physical fitness and health education teacher had made a joke about rape which she claimed encouraged his students to commit the crime.
Saiful said Ain’s siblings in the same school were taunted and teased, with others making all kinds of allegations against the family.
“Since the authorities were also not really sympathetic towards us at that time, I made the decision to move to Cheras in October last year after the Chempaka International School there offered Ain a scholarship,” he said.
Saiful said the family felt that it would have been pointless to continue in the government school, under the circumstances.
A police report they lodged about the teacher and subsequent harassment was later shelved, after being classified as “no further action” by the Attorney-General’s Chambers.
Ain and her father have since been sued by the 43-year-old teacher, Khairul Nizam Sanuddin, for allegedly making defamatory remarks against him on social media and through press interviews later.
They have filed a counter-suit against Khairul and the government for the emotional distress cause by the rape joke and in the aftermath. The others named in the suit were the headmistress at the time, Sarimah Mohammed Nor, Selangor education director Anismah M Noh, education minister Radzi Jidin and the federal government.
They have also objected to government lawyers representing the teacher and the headmistress who had been sued in their personal capacity.
PETALING JAYA: Standing up against a teacher and the authorities for trivialising rape in class has cost Ain Husniza Saiful Nizam and her family dearly.
Her family had to uproot from Puncak Alam to Cheras after facing much pressure from the school, the students and the neighbourhood, according to her father, Saiful Nizam Ab Wahab.
He said the situation became so bad after the incident in April last year that he felt it became pointless to battle the school and society as the family was suddenly made to feel they were perpetrators of the whole episode.
Saiful said the family did not appeal against her expulsion, for not attending school for three days. “My daughter was made to look like the cause of the incident when she was actually a victim,” he said.
Ain’s problems began when she went public with claims that her physical fitness and health education teacher had made a joke about rape which she claimed encouraged his students to commit the crime.
Saiful said Ain’s siblings in the same school were taunted and teased, with others making all kinds of allegations against the family.
“Since the authorities were also not really sympathetic towards us at that time, I made the decision to move to Cheras in October last year after the Chempaka International School there offered Ain a scholarship,” he said.
Saiful said the family felt that it would have been pointless to continue in the government school, under the circumstances.
A police report they lodged about the teacher and subsequent harassment was later shelved, after being classified as “no further action” by the Attorney-General’s Chambers.
Ain and her father have since been sued by the 43-year-old teacher, Khairul Nizam Sanuddin, for allegedly making defamatory remarks against him on social media and through press interviews later.
They have filed a counter-suit against Khairul and the government for the emotional distress cause by the rape joke and in the aftermath. The others named in the suit were the headmistress at the time, Sarimah Mohammed Nor, Selangor education director Anismah M Noh, education minister Radzi Jidin and the federal government.
They have also objected to government lawyers representing the teacher and the headmistress who had been sued in their personal capacity.
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