By Mariam Mokhtar

When two women shared on Twitter their experience of being sexually harassed by policemen at MCO roadblocks, male activist Abdul Rani Kulup alleged that the woman who was asked to hand over her personal details to a policeman should not have overreacted.

He said the woman should have accepted this as 'normal' male behavior. He added that she was stupid and should have entertained the policeman because, who knows, the man might be her husband one day.

Another woman, who is allegedly a dentist, also slammed the woman who had been harassed. She said she found nothing wrong with the policeman wanting her personal details. She said that this was 'normal' for a man.

The dentist claimed that after she failed her driving test, her fiance gave her permission to flirt with the test instructor. She did and passed the test on the second attempt.

So, did she pass the test because she was suitably qualified or because she had flirted with the tester?

Rani, the dentist and some Malaysians may think that the two women who were harassed have regarded their encounters with the policemen as a storm in a teacup.

Do they not understand professionalism, ethics and moral conduct? This is not a trivial matter. Will the critics disapprove of the policemen only if they became persistent and stalked the women?

Sometimes, another woman can be a woman's worst enemy.

So, why was there a delay in tabling the Sexual Harassment Bill (SHB)? Only after the two cases of sexual harassment by policemen, did Rina Harun, the minister for women, family and community development, issue a statement to say that the SHB is with the Attorney-General's chambers (AGC) for final drafting.

When was it sent to the AGC?

You may recall that in November 2019, Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, the erstwhile DPM and women's minister, said the SHB would be ready in 2020 because specific issues such as burden of proof had to be incorporated into the bill. She said 'the complaint mechanism has to be simplified to enable victims to come forward whilst the remedies and penalties are given attention.'

2020 has passed and it has been 15 months since Dr Wan Azizah said the SHB would be tabled. What has the women's ministry been up to?

What is causing the delay? Does the government not see the SHB as a priority? Which department needs to give their input for the final draft? When will the final draft be ready? How many more victims of sexual harassment must there be before the government proves to the rakyat that it does care?

There may be a coronavirus pandemic, but the wheels of government should still be turning. They should not have ground to a halt.

On February 16, Sarawak welfare, community well-being, family and childhood development minister Fatimah Abdullah said that the SHB will mean that victims of sexual harassment would no longer suffer in silence.

Why didn't she urge her Putrajaya counterpart to act with speed?

Fatimah, Rina and other PN ministers have been sleeping on the job. They make suitable noises only after the public have been outraged.

Fatimah said, "A lack of reporting by victims means the harasser or future perpetrator would continue their shameful act."

She added, "This can increase confidence in the efficiency of the police, as the enforcement arm of the law, to protect the public from sexual harassment."

Is Fatimah unaware that in the past, several allegations have been reported about sexual harassment in the workplace, schools and hospitals by government servants, NGO officials, ministers and prominent businessmen? Did the investigations get anywhere? Did it get past the police report stage?

In 2018, employees of WWF-Malaysia reported to the management about sexually harassment at work, but their complaints were dismissed.

After these allegations were publicized on social media and in the mainstream news, the management were forced to investigate.

Were the perpetrators punished?

Malaysians are aware of the minister who in 2018 sexually molested an underage girl in his SUV at 11 pm.

A police report was made, but the minister absconded to Mecca to avoid public scrutiny, and soon after his return, avoided prosecution when the girl suddenly dropped her claim.

In 2017, a 56-year-old MIC branch leader, who is also a Tamil school teacher, told the mother of a teenager that he could help her daughter secure a job after her SPM examinations if she would sleep with him.

A clip of his boast on WhatsApp went viral. So, apart from quitting his post, was this man punished?

In our Asian culture, sexual abuse and harassment is too embarrassing to disclose. People close ranks and protect the abusers because they do not want their professions or organizations to be stigmatized.

We need education at home and at school to change the mindset of both men and women, to protect the victims, and seek justice for them.

At the moment, we merely empower the perpetrators.

Rina and Fatimah should not have waited for a public uproar before they reacted.

They lack sincerity and responsibility. They have failed female and male victims of sexual harassment.

Source:

1. MalaysiaKini: Cops probe 'police pickup line' after viral tweet

2. Free Malaysia Today: Table Sexual Harassment Bill quickly, say MPs

3. Malay Mail: Rani Kulup, the 'king' of police reports with 1,000 complaints since 2011

4. MalaysiaKini: MIC man to mum: 'I'll get a job for your daughter if she sleeps with me'

5. MalaysiaKini: Special tribunal to hear, manage sexual harassment cases – DPM

6. The Star: Sexual harassment law vital so victims no longer suffer in silence, says S'wak minister

7. Free Malaysia Today: More victims allege sexual harassment at NGO

8. The Star: WWF-M'sia chief steps down, makes way for 'fresh vision'

9. Free Malaysia Today: I met the girl in my car because I couldn't walk, says Shahidan

10. MalaysiaKini: Rina reiterates commitment to drafting Sexual Harassment Bill

(Mariam Mokhtar is a Freelance Writer.)