PETALING JAYA, Sept 18 — Peers are the first line of defence who can suss out if their friend is being bullied through their actions, emotions and interactions, said state executive councillor for public health and environment Jamaliah Jamaluddin.
She said bullying could impact each person differently, so peer support is important to help victims facing such troubles.
She urged teens not to leave their bullied friends, saying: “We must be at their side so they don’t feel alone.”
She was speaking to reporters after the Selangor Zero-Bullying Campaign and launch of the SEHAT Support Friends Hub and SEHAT Youth Hotline, officiated by KASIH Malaysia chairman Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, at M World Hotel here today.
Also present were students from several Petaling Jaya schools.
Jamaliah said the campaign is part of the Selangor government’s commitment to protecting youth mental and physical health towards a bullying-free environment, adding that efforts to eradicate bullying shouldn’t fall on just one party, but the entire community.
“Zero bullying won’t be achieved with posters saying ‘Don’t Bully’. It starts when we choose not to laugh at other people’s insults,” she added.
She highlighted the importance of youth having friends who are safe spaces, especially if they face difficulties but dare not speak up.
“This is in line with the ‘See, Approach, Connect’ principle, which are centred as three easy actions for students to practise in addressing bullying,” she said.
Efforts to create a bullying-free environment are being backed with mental health aid ecosystems like Selangor Mental Sihat’s (SEHAT) two initiatives — SEHAT Support Friends Hub and SEHAT Youth Line — aimed at providing more accessible support services.
SEHAT Youth Line, reachable at 1700-82-7536, is a free psychosocial support hotline for teenagers and is handled by registered practitioners from the Selangor Counselling Centre. It operates Monday to Friday, 8.30am to 4.30pm, except on public holidays.
Meanwhile, the SEHAT Support Friends Hub provides free online guidance sessions by peer supporters from SAPOT, providing space for people to be heard and be referred to mental health professionals if need be.
The SEHAT initiatives also use the SELangkah app as a booking and central reporting system to ensure services linked to the programme may be tracked and coordinated under the state government’s digital ecosystem.
