A spokesman said the government must take the matter seriously, following a report on Tuesday that staff at Kolej Vokasional Setapak had allegedly conducted spot checks on 30 girls aged 18 to 19 who were asked to prove they were menstruating with a cotton bud swab.

“Period spot checks must be considered a criminal offence under the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017 and Section 354 of the Penal Code, which will make it punishable by law,” she told FMT.

Former journalist Tashny Sukumaran had tweeted that she received a tip on the incident at about 7.50pm on Oct 18.

Following the report, senior education minister Radzi Jidin and ministry officials visited the college to speak to the principal and teachers.

The SIS spokesman described the visit as a “positive step” in addressing period spot checks, but said it was not sufficient as the ministry must prepare clear guidelines on how educational institutions, including boarding schools, should treat their students.

Meanwhile, a Women’s Aid Organisation (WAO) spokesman said the education ministry’s commitment to form an investigative committee in April had “not come to fruition”.

“This issue must be dealt with urgently and students must be protected from harassment and discrimination, while the perpetrators must face the repercussions,” she said.

In addition to clear guidelines prohibiting period checks in schools, she said, there should be a dedicated hotline or app for students to report such incidents, with guaranteed anonymity and protection for students or staff who lodge reports.

“Long-term measures include the implementation of a curriculum covering topics on gender sensitivity in teacher training colleges,” she said.

She also said students who have experienced period checks and other forms of harassment may call the WAO hotline at 03-3000 8858 and TINA at 018-988 8058 if they need someone to talk to or help in figuring out what to do next.