Ngo Condemns Gov T Inaction To Foil Sustained Cyberbullying On Tiktok Even Its Board Member Is A Victim

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THAT it now has a bird eye view of inaction by the authorities to wage war on cyberbullies has prompted the Global Human Rights Federation (GHRF) to hit out at the dismissive response of law enforcement agencies towards on-going cyberbullying cases on TikTok.
This follows targeted attacks meted out against the NGO’s vice secretary Hema Subramaniam who has been subjected to a coordinated and sustained campaign of cyber harassment.
For over a year, Hema who is known online as Swashna has faced vulgar and threatening language; defamatory content and baseless accusations as well as character assassination and online intimidation, according to GHRF president S. Shashi Kumar.
“Despite formal complaints filed with the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) as well as multiple police reports, including the latest filed on Sept 22 at the Cheras district police headquarters (IPD0, there has been no meaningful response from the authorities,” fumed the activist.
Global Human Rights Federation (GHRF) president S. Shashi Kumar“Among those offenders named in the police reports is Joseph Prakash, a representative of the NGO Pertubuhan Kebajikan Integriti Persahabatan Nasional (PKIPN) who has allegedly:
Manipulated private conversations into false narratives;Published defamatory videos; andHosted live TikTok sessions that encouraged vulgar and threatening comments against Hema and her family.”More broadly, Hema’s woes come on the backdrop of several tragic suicides which have been directly linked to sustained cyberbullying campaigns on the social media platform over the past five years alone:
May 2020: Penang girl, Thivya Nayagi, aged 20, took her own life.August 2022: Sashikala Nadarajah aged 44, a mother of three school-going daughters, died by suicide.July 2024: Activist and social media influencer Rajeswary “Esha” Appahu, 30, also ended her life.
Each of these women endured prolonged digital violence, cyberbullying, harassment, humiliation, character assassination, rape/death threats and vicious trolling.
The psychological toll of this abuse proved fatal while the perpetrators continue to operate with impunity.
“In recent weeks, his actions have escalated further with false and dangerous claims linking Hema to the death of Esha,” exposed Shashi of perpetrator Joseph’s menacing behaviour.
“These baseless accusations have gone viral on TikTok and WhatsApp, stoking public hate, fear and threats of violence. These are clear attempts to provoke, defame and endanger Hema’s safety.”
FocusM has learnt that Hema is currently involved in an on-going case with the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) which is closely linked to Esha’s tragic death.
Joseph is believed to have made attempts to tamper with key evidence related to the case and has been trying to intimidate the individual handling it. He is also alleged to have deliberately twisted the limited information he possesses and has spread defamatory claims against the main witness who was targeted online alongside Esha.
More broadly, Shashi went on to reveal that despite repeated complaints, no action has been taken “even though reports have been filed under:
Section 504 & 506 of the Penal Code – Criminal intimidation and threats;Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 – Misuse of network facilities; andSection 507D of the Penal Code a.k.a. the Esha Clause – Cyber harassment offensesEditor’s Note: The Esha Clause named in honour of cyberbullying victim Rajeswary Appahu was outlined in Section 507D of the Penal Code to criminalise any words or actions used to threaten, insult or defame with the intent to provoke self-harm or harm to others.
The penalty for such offences includes imprisonment for up to one year, a fine or both.

“Malaysia cannot afford to lose more lives to preventable online abuse. The laws exist but what is missing is enforcement, political will and institutional responsibility,” lamented Shashi.
“GHRF will be holding a media conference to expose the identities of the cyberbullies and to amplify voices of the victims who have come forward to share their stories.”
He added: “Several individuals who reached out to GHRF have bravely agreed to speak publicly about their experiences.” –   Focus Malaysia

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