KUCHING: Over 700 students and teachers gathered at Kuching High School today for a landmark seminar addressing bullying, e-cigarette use, and mental health among teenagers.
Organised by Team Dynamic and Kuching South City Council (MBKS) member, Eric Tay Tze Kok, the ‘Every Child Belongs to All of Us’ event aimed to raise awareness and encourage collective responsibility for youth wellbeing.
Supported by Sarawak General Hospital, the seminar highlighted the urgent need for preventive measures against bullying and addiction while equipping students with strategies to manage stress.
“Bullying is not trivial; the psychological trauma it causes runs deeper than visible injuries,” said psychiatrist, Dr Ngau Wah Chin, who led the first session.
Drawing from years of clinical experience, Dr Ngau outlined four common root causes of bullying: excessive emotional stress, estranged parent-child relationships, personal vulnerability among bullies, and the desire to fit in by harming others.
He warned that long-term bullying victims may suffer anxiety, insomnia, physical stress symptoms, social withdrawal, and even self-harm tendencies.
“A student may appear fine externally, but internally they experience fear and anxiety. Silence does not mean absence of pain,” Dr Ngau stressed.
The seminar also highlighted the rising use of e-cigarettes among youth, with Dr Ngau describing them as “electronic drugs” containing over 200 chemicals, including carcinogens and high nicotine levels, while some illegal e-liquids even contain substances like THC and ketamine.
“E-cigarettes are traps set by drug dealers exploiting your youth. They harm your present health and destroy your future potential,” he cautioned.
To engage students, the seminar held a creative B-U-L-L-Y-I-N-G sentence competition with 52 teams, where the ‘3E Girls’ won Best Team for their thoughtful anti-bullying messages.
During the event, Tay emphasised that children belong to the entire community, not just schools.
“Education cannot rely solely on teachers; parents are a child’s first teachers. Cooperation between schools and families is essential to prevent bullying effectively,” he said.
He also advocated for stronger psychological support in schools, including more counsellors to meet students’ emotional needs.
“When children are protected, society becomes stable; when children are understood, the nation progresses; when children are loved, they become the future strength of Sarawak,” Tay said.
