Deputy Women, Families and Community Development Minister Hannah Yeoh has urged authorities to be more aware and sensitive when handling complaints of alleged sexual harassment cases.
Yeoh (photo) said she had personally received complaints from victims of sexual harassment regarding questions asked by police personnel who dealt with their reports.
"The authorities must be trained to be more aware and sensitive towards such incidents.
"I have received complaints when a victim lodged a report for sexual harassment, the police will immediately ask them, 'what were you wearing?," Yeoh told reporters at the 10th anniversary of Makasih in Subang today.
Yeoh said this when asked for comments on a case allegedly involving a lecturer from Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) Dungun, Terengganu, campus.
Malaysiakini yesterday reported that police had closed investigations of the alleged sexual harassment case, and the matter was informed to the victim's family on Tuesday.
The victim's older sister, who expressed disappointment over the decision, told Malaysiakini that the case was closed as there were purportedly no solid evidence to support the claim.
Yeoh, meanwhile, said her ministry is working towards drafting a new law to reduce gaps identified in existing related legislations, particularly to address trauma faced by victims of alleged sexual harassment.
"Many people don't understand this. When a victim lodged a police report on sexual harassment, there will be trauma from the incident.
"So to address this, the ministry is at the stage of drafting a new law on sexual harassment," she said.
Commenting further, Yeoh expressed hope that the inspector-general of police would consider setting up a women-only unit to increase awareness on sexual harassment.
Last July, Malaysiakini reported that police were investigating the case after receiving a report on the alleged incident.
The lecturer was arrested on June 24 and later released on bail.
Despite this, the authorities said then that investigations were ongoing.
Based on the report sighted by Malaysiakini, the 19-year-old student claimed the lecturer, from Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) campus in Terengganu, called her to his office and proposed an RM500 monthly payment to be her “sugar daddy”, which meant sex and “other activities”.
The student also claimed the lecturer held her shoulders and tried to kiss her on the lips, but said she managed to escape.
In response, UiTM stated the matter was being probed by both the police and the university.
However, a source claimed the lecturer in question has been suspended for two months pending internal investigations, which began on July 16. - Mkini
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