There have only been ad hoc measures to address the crime through 'half-hearted' fixes, says a group.
A stunned Nurul Izzah Anwar listens as a caller berates her over her style of wearing the tudung.
PETALING JAYA: Two groups who have in the past criticised human rights activists for championing unIslamic values has urged for clearer sexual harassment laws in Malaysia, after PKR’s Nurul Izzah Anwar was berated by a caller during a live interview on Facebook for not wearing her tudung “properly”.
Citing a study called “Discriminatory Practices And Sexual Harassment Among Working Women In Malaysia”, the International Women’s Alliance for Family Institution and Quality Education (Wafiq) and the Centre For Human Rights Advocacy (Centhra) said the majority of women in the study did not lodge any formal complaint as they did not believe that the existing mechanisms for victims of sexual harassment are effective.
“In the absence of a specific legislation such as the Sexual Harassment Act, our courts are prevented from dealing with issues such as the burden of proof and what constitutes sexual harassment more effectively,” said the two organisations, who have formed the Malaysian Alliance of Civil Society Organisations in the Universal Periodic Review Process (Macsa).
On Friday, a man who called in during a live interview session with Nurul Izzah told her to dress more modestly, saying that her clothes were sometimes transparent. The caller also made several crude remarks. The interviewer later thanked him.
Following this, Petaling Jaya MP Maria Chin Abdullah criticised the host, saying what took place was sexual harassment which he should have stopped.
Maria also urged for laws to deal with sexual harassments, including a Gender Equality Act.
Macsa said many cases went unreported because women may have been unaware if unwanted advances constitute sexual harassment.
It cited a study carried out over a six-month period involving 402 working females aged between 18 and 59 years, which found that 43.9% of the respondents had experienced unwelcome sexual connotations, glances, gestures, or comments taking place at work, while 33.7% said they themselves experienced it.
The study found that the main perpetrators of sexual harassment were colleagues (50%), followed by clients (28%), subordinates (11%), superiors (7%) and others (4%).
Masca said most measures to address the issue of sexual harassment had been adhoc, including a new provision which was added to the Employment Act 1955.
“The Labour Department has also made it mandatory for all organisations to have a Sexual Harassment Policy in place as part of compliance with the Employment Act 1955 after the new provision in the amended act came into force in 2013.
“Nonetheless, these half-hearted fixes do not go far enough in addressing the matter at hand.” -FMT
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