PETALING JAYA: Being forced to lick the toilet floor of the dormitory, as well as chew and swallow cigarette sticks were among the horrid experiences a 34-year-old man recalled when he was in a boarding school.

       The government servant from Kuala Lumpur, who only wished to be known as Hafiz, said the nightmares in the school did not end after he graduated.

       He said the trauma he suffered in the educational institution due to the bullying cost him his mental health, too.

       “My mental health deteriorated.

       “I became hot-tempered and had low self-esteem,” he said.

       “The bad experiences in school led to depression, severe anxiety disorder and attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).”

       Hafiz recalled a moment when he was beaten by the seniors in school in a dark room – simply for not being friendly with them.

       “I told my parents about it but nothing much was done. I was just asked to stay in school and persevere for the sake of my future.

       “I was scared to report this to the teachers because the bully threatened to do something even worse,” he said, adding that he ended up keeping the struggles to himself.

       Reflecting on his nightmare, Hafiz now urges victims of bullying to report such acts to the authorities.

       CLICK TO ENLARGE

       “It takes courage to report the bully, but the longer we put it off, the greater the negative impact on ourselves, especially emotionally, in the long run,” he said.

       He also urged bullies to put a stop to their actions as it jeopardises their future, too.

       Recently, a video of students from a Mara Junior Science College (MRSM) beating a fellow student went viral, resulting in backlash.

       Six students, were suspended for two weeks from the school located in Kuala Kangsar, Perak.

       On Dec 12, the Education Ministry said another case of bullying was being investigated, where four students in Kuantan, Pahang, were reportedly being treated as “punching bags” by their seniors.

       According to the Health Ministry, the different forms of bullying include physical, verbal, social and cyberbullying.

       Social activist Neshan Anantha Rajah said he was subjected to verbal, social as well as cyberbullying during his time in secondary school.

       “I was ostracised because of a false rumour, which caused me to lose a lot of opportunities and this turned me into a socially awkward person,” said the 25-year-old.

       He said he was excluded from group chats and called names, while pictures of himself would be edited with degrading remarks.

       “For three years I felt alone, I couldn’t fit in anywhere and it affected me academically. I soon developed social anxiety,” he added.

       Neshan felt he could not tell his parents nor a teacher as he was afraid of being labelled weak by his schoolmates.

       He urged victims to start telling someone, be it a teacher or a friend who would listen.

       “Whatever it is, don’t run from the problem, because it is still going to be there,” he said.

       Meanwhile, a 26-year-old who wished to remain anonymous, confessed to being a former bully.

       He said his behaviour was “immature and foolish” and his actions mostly stemmed from peer pressure and not wanting to be left out.

       He still thinks of his past actions until today, and several victims have confronted him.

       He expressed remorse over his past acts and implored bullies to “just stop”.