How is it ok to fine a 17-year-old student RM1million for speaking up???
When a 17-year-old student called out her teacher for making a rape joke in class, she unknowingly started the #MakeSchoolASaferPlace movement which gained her respect but at the same time, she also came under the scrutiny of many. Even though PDRM vowed to investigate the teacher, it seems as if the smear campaign set out against the student is not over.
When she first came out with her experience, she was greeted with a slew of perverted comments from men who believed she was “asking for it”. Undeterred, Ain stood her ground and continued to fight for her cause. Sharing on Twitter today (4 August), Ain tweeted that she received a legal letter of demand for “defamatory statements” she supposedly made.
hi. harini ain tiba-tiba terima surat tuntutan atas "pernyataan-pernyataan fitnah"
dlm surat ni ain diberi 7 hari untuk untuk semua tuntutan ni, antaranya untuk membayar RM1,000,000 dalam gantirugi.
all i ask is semua doakan urusan ain dipermudahkan :') #MakeSchoolASaferPlace
— ain #MakeSchoolASaferPlace (@ant33ater) August 4, 2021
According to her, the letter stated that she has seven days to fulfil all the claims which included paying an RM1 million compensation. She also apologized for not being active on social media as she has been emotionally unstable.
Ain’s tweet went viral garnering almost 10K retweets with Malaysians coming to her support including Lembah Pantai MP, Fahmi Fadzil, who advised her to get a good lawyer and to also try crowdfunding. Former Youth and Sports Minister, Syed Saddiq, also came to her defence and told her to never give up.
“We are with you. If anyone is starting crowdfunding, please share. We’ve all got your back Ain. We will help you speak the truth to power.”
Safe to say, Malaysians’ anger towards the authorities have reached a new level when they found out the amount Ain was fined with. One Twitter user called out the ‘adults’ behind the decision for actually intimidating a student all for calling out a rape joke.
“She stood up for #MakeSchoolASaferPlace. How unlucky we are to live in a country with a bunch of evil men but when a teen speaks up against abuse & harassment in schools, they are threatened with legal action. We stand with you Ain!”
All Ain did was speak out against an inappropriate teacher but this is how our government chooses to silence the truth? Let us know what you think of this!
Also read: PDRM To Investigate Teacher Who Normalised Rape After Student Received Rape Threats
