PETALING JAYA: Youth and sports minister Hannah Yeoh wants to implement a Safe Sport Code, intended to ensure a safe sporting environment for all stakeholders, instead of tabling a bill in Parliament.
According to Malay Mail, Yeoh said going through Parliament would take a longer time, while the code could be implemented as early as March.
“I’ve just decided that we will go with a code simply because we have existing legislation and I don’t want to confuse our stakeholders. I don’t want to delay having safe sports.”
The minister said there were “so many rounds you have to do before it (a Bill) is actually tabled in Parliament and that’s something I don’t think we have time for”.
In March 2022, then youth and sports minister Ahmad Faizal Azumu said a draft of the Safe Sport Act would be ready by the end of the year. Faizal said it would serve as a guideline for stakeholders to combat sexual harassment and to ensure that there was a legal mechanism to protect those involved in sports.
In 2021, national diving champion Pandelela Rinong revealed that she had been sexually harassed by a former coach and had to endure sexual jokes from the individual for seven years. Pandelela said she was speaking up against rape jokes and her experience of sexual harassment to encourage victims to speak up.
Yeoh said a Safe Sport Act might also be redundant with the implementation of the Anti-Sexual Harassment Act, adding that the ministry would “use that first” while taking note of any weaknesses in the law before seeking improvements.
“We have the Penal Code and also the Employment Act. If a coach is accused of sexual harassment, we’d also have the Anti-Sexual Harassment Act. So, there are so many (laws that can be used) and I don’t want it to be confusing.” - FMT
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.