KUALA LUMPUR — PKR deputy president Nurul Izzah Anwar has called for a nationwide reckoning on youth mental health and violence following the murder of 17-year-old student Yap Shing Xuen, who was allegedly stabbed by a classmate at SMK Bandar Utama Damansara (4) earlier this week.
In a heartfelt statement shared on social media, Nurul Izzah said the tragedy underscored the urgent need for Malaysia to re-examine how schools, families, and institutions support children under emotional strain.
“Sometimes, there is pain that cannot be spoken, emptiness that cannot be filled,” she wrote.
“To Shing Xuen — your name should never have appeared on the front pages in this way. Your passing is not just a tragedy, but a call for us to listen more closely and understand our children’s world with greater empathy.”
She said visiting the victim’s family had strengthened her resolve to push for justice and lasting reform.
“Seeing the mother’s strength in facing such an unimaginable ordeal makes me even more determined to fight for justice — for the safety of all our children,” she said.
The lawmaker, who is also Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s daughter, referenced several recent high-profile cases involving minors — including the death of 13-year-old Zara Qairina Mahathir and reports of sexual assault among children — as symptoms of a deeper social crisis.
“From the case of the late Zara (Qairina) to distressing incidents of child sexual abuse, both the victims and perpetrators are children. This clearly demands drastic and holistic change before more young lives are lost,” she said.
Nurul Izzah, who suffered a miscarriage in 2023, said she personally understood the grief of parents mourning a child’s death.
“As a mother who has also lost a child, I know the pain of this kind of grief has no remedy,” she said.
“Although nothing can truly heal such a wound, I pray that the truth — once uncovered — will offer some comfort to those whose hearts are now broken.” — October 17, 2025