Teach children about sexual harassment from young, say activists

 

Activists say children must be taught about sexual harassment to avoid becoming victims.

PETALING JAYA: Two activist groups and a Suhakam commissioner have called for the early education of children on sexual harassment so they can avoid becoming victims.

Hartini Zainudin of the Voice of the Children said most children did not know how to protect themselves against sexual harassment or even recognise harassment in public places such as on school buses.

She said there were no proper protection policies to safeguard children from being sexually harassed on school buses and vans.

She also said there were different forms of sexual harassment.

“Sexual harassment is a close cousin of behavioural issues. That is why it must be identified correctly,” she told FMT.

“School bus drivers, students, parents and school staff in and out of school must also understand what sexual harassment is.

“There are physical and verbal forms. Verbal harassment is more common but every bit as harmful. Verbal harassment is also more difficult to identify because of the many forms that it takes, like name calling of a sexual nature, obscene gestures and off-colour jokes that contain sexual innuendos.”

Last week, an 11-year-old girl in Seremban was allegedly molested by a school van driver while he was sending her home. The driver was said to have touched the girl’s cheek while complimenting her.

He also allegedly asked her to “add” him on WhatsApp and rubbed her hand and right leg.

The man was arrested by the police and allegedly admitted to committing the offence.

In her police report, the girl’s mother said her daughter had revealed the incident to her while in tears. The father advised other parents to instil awareness in their children about the dangers of sexual harassment.

Parent Action Group for Education chairman Noor Azimah Abdul Rahim said many children would usually brush off sexual harassment as harmless.

She said this was why parents needed to maintain communication with their children so that they were comfortable enough to speak to them if they faced danger.

She agreed that education on the matter was necessary, but added that the best teachers were parents, praising the father of the girl in the Seremban case.

“What the father did is exemplary. There are so many lessons that a school can teach, but at the end of the day, it is good judgment and decisions taught by parents that can save children from danger.”

Suhakam’s children’s commissioner Noor Aziah Mohd Awal agreed with Noor Azimah, saying it was important for education on sexual harassment to be provided both in schools and at home.

“Parents must be equipped with the basic knowledge about sexual harassment to warn children,” she said.

She called on the government to ensure that more teachers were trained on the subject and that bus and van drivers were thoroughly vetted to ensure the safety of children. - FMT