EARLY last month, the Education Ministry issued a circular to all state education departments and district education offices banning physical examinations of female students in all institutions under the ministry.
In particular, it forbade period spot checks. In any society that considers itself civilised, such a practice would be anachronistic and, therefore, a circular to address it redundant.
Sadly, with regard to this at least, Malaysia is some stages short of civilised. Not only is the practice of period spot checks prevalent in schools, but anecdotally, it has been going on for generations.
None of the victims enjoy it nor consent to it. Yet the practice has survived because it is mainly driven by teachers and school administrators, against whom students are at least psychologically powerless to act.
Students are reportedly warned by teachers to not "make a big deal" of the incidents. That educators see fit to inflict any form of sexual violation on children that are entrusted in their care should be of severe concern to us all. That they probably do not consider it a sexual violation — or any sort of violation — should alarm and anger us even further.
A report on sexual violations involving students, produced by the All Women's Action Society (Awam) with the Save the Schools MY (STS) movement, has found that period spot checks were the most underreported form of abuse in schools.
Three quarters of such checks were ordered or led by female teachers and school administrators. The report was based on 770 testimonies of former and current students, and is likely the first official effort made to assess the problem and lends truth to previous anecdotal evidence, which span the length and breadth of the country, across generations.
Where it happens, period spot checks are applied on Muslim female students as a means of verifying whether or not the students are justified in skipping prayers, as in Islam, a menstruating person is excused from obligatory prayers. And when it happens, it has come in either the form of ustazahs feeling up a student's crotch, or students having to show their sanitary napkins or do a swab test of their vaginas.
And if that sounds abominable, it's because it is. Though prayers may be obligatory for all sane and conscious Muslims who have reached puberty, and parents are permitted to chastise them while they are young for not doing so, there is no imperative or provision for checking whether or not a student is really menstruating.
Muslims are enjoined to always speak the truth, and whether or not a person performs their prayers is up to the person's conscience and maturity of faith. Period spot checks not only violate Islamic adab (decorum/decency), but also the concept of aurat (private parts forbidden to be seen by others).
Period spot checks should be banned not only in institutions under the Education Ministry, but everywhere and anywhere in the country. All educators and those entrusted to look after children must be programmed to recognise a child's right to body autonomy and the right to be safe and protected from violations and molestations, and particularly by people in authority.
Securing this right is not an act of charity or indulgence, rather to not do so is a violation, and should, without hesitation, be punishable by law. On Human Rights Day today, this very basic children's right should be acknowledged.