PETALING JAYA: Schools should strengthen non-violent communication and conflict resolution programmes while equipping teachers, counsellors and administrators with tools to identify aggressive behaviour before it turns fatal, says a safety advocate.
Alliance for a Safe Community (Ikatan) chairman Lee Lam Thye today warned that recent violent incidents involving students and youths risked desensitising society to violence and normalising physical force as an acceptable way to resolve personal conflicts.
In a statement, he said educators and school staff needed better mechanisms to detect early warning signs, including serious bullying, explicit threats and escalating aggression.
Lee stressed that parents play a crucial role in shaping their children’s attitudes towards conflict, and urged them to be better role models of self-control, respect and peaceful conflict resolution at home.
“Children learn from their surroundings. They must be taught that true strength lies not in aggression, but in self-control, respect and the ability to resolve differences peacefully.
“If such violent incidents continue, there is a danger that society may gradually become desensitised to violence and begin to regard aggressive behaviour and use of physical force as an acceptable way of resolving conflicts.
“Violence must never become a culture in Malaysia. We cannot wait until violence becomes deeply rooted before taking action,” he said.
He stressed that while offenders must face the law, addressing the underlying problem required a broader preventive effort involving all levels of society.
Lee also highlighted social media as a factor contributing to youth aggression, warning that exposure to cyberbullying, online humiliation and violent content could normalise violence in the real world.
His call for urgent intervention follows a series of violent incidents involving students at educational institutions over the past year.
Recent cases include the death of a schoolgirl in Yong Peng on Oct 3, the murder of a polytechnic student on Oct 6, and the stabbing of a female student at a school in Bandar Utama last year.