Permatang assemblyman Nurul Syazwani Noh said the fatal stabbing of a student in Selangor, the death of a boarding school student in Sabah and the gang rape of a student in Melaka stem from economic and social policies that have forced parents to spend long hours away from home.

“Many parents are forced to work day and night just to survive, leaving their children to grow up without love, guidance or a moral compass,” she said in a Facebook post.

Syazwani urged the government to introduce a flexible or work-from-home policy, along with tax incentives and wage subsidies for employers that implement women-friendly flexible work arrangements.

She added that the government should implement programmes to empower women with digital and entrepreneurial skills so that they can earn a living from the comfort of their homes.

Syazwani also called on the government to increase funding for religious schools and reform moral education to make it more engaging and relevant.

She said parents have lost confidence in the safety of schools as the official response to each tragedy has merely been the formation of committees to investigate the incidents.

“Enough with excuses and statistics. What the people want is bold action and policy change that truly protect our children,” she said.