The hashtag #MakeSchoolASaferPlace began after a 17-year-old claimed in a video that her physical education teacher had joked about rape during a class on sexual harassment. The video went viral on social media.

FMT spoke to a few women on their encounters with sexual harassment.

A 16-year-old who only wanted to be identified as Nur alleged that her physical education teacher a few weeks ago condemned girls not wearing the hijab as deserving to be raped.

The teacher, a woman, said such girls should not blame men “if they cut out a picture of your face and put it on a picture of someone else’s naked body”, Nur said.

“This shows teachers are teaching young children who don’t know better to think like this.

“And I’ve heard teachers make lewd comments for years without consequences because students are scared of being suspended if we speak out. Either that, or people would talk badly about us and our reputation would be ruined.”

Sarah, who is 21, spoke about her time in primary school. She said her religious teacher on several occasions hugged her from behind and rubbed his groin against her back.

“He used to harass me and some of the other pupils. This happened when I was in Standard Three up until I was in Standard Five.”

She said she knew she was being harassed, but was too afraid to speak up. “I have not even told my parents.”

The ustaz was transferred to another school after the headmaster came to know about his actions, she added.

Another girl, Anna, said her chest and vagina were groped at school when she was 11.

It happened during the school’s Canteen Day when they had games and other activities, she said.

“I went inside the Haunted House with my friends but was the last person in line. It was very dark and I could not see anything, but I felt someone groping my vagina and chest.”

She complained to the teacher in charge, but he brushed it off as a prank.

“I did not know who were inside the Haunted House acting as the ghosts, but I knew they were all boys,” she said.

“This was just one of the instances that I got sexually harassed on the school grounds.

“I just hate seeing all of this still happening and it needs to be taken seriously. We need to put a stop to it.”

Harry Tan, secretary-general of the National Union of the Teaching Profession, was asked to comment on the allegations.

He said students should name the schools and the teachers involved and make police reports.

“This is definitely against the law, but the law requires proof,” he added.