IPOH: There has been an increase in the number of sexual harassment reports lodged by men, says Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri.
The Women, Family, and Community Development Minister said more than 750 cases have been reported between July and early Oct.
“From July 6 to Oct 2, there have been 762 cases reported. From the figure, a total of 197 reports were made by men and the remaining 565 reports were women," she told reporters after attending the Anti-Sexual Harassment Advocacy programme at Casuarina@Meru on Thursday (Oct 5).
“A few years ago, the cases among men were not as many because they were probably afraid and ashamed," she said, adding that the majority of the cases reported were harassment made using jokes.
"But we can see that the numbers are growing and we believe that advocacy programmes like this will help more victims to come forward and speak up,” she added.
Separately, she said there will be at least 10 panels in the Anti-Sexual Harassment Tribunal which will include a president, a deputy, and members.
“There are two parts that we need to address first, namely the administrative and legal matters. As we have received the approval to have members appointed to the tribunal, we are discussing the financial aspect to propose the salary rate for the appointed panel,” she said.
On Aug 29, Nancy said they had submitted the complete list of names for the tribunal and were awaiting the Attorney General’s Chambers' (AGC) approval as the members are lawyers.
The Anti-Sexual Harassment Act 2022 (Act 840) was gazetted on Oct 18 last year after receiving the consent of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong on Oct 8.
The tribunal was a critical part of the Anti-Sexual Harassment Act 2022 (Act 840), which was passed by Parliament in August and gazetted in October last year.
The tribunal would deliberate sexual harassment complaints, and provide a mechanism for anyone who had been sexually harassed to seek redress.
Despite the absence of the tribunal, the ministry announced that several sections of the Act have come into force, including Section 1 – Simple Titles and Commencement; (ii) Section 2 – Interpretation; (iii) Section 24 – Administrator; (iv) Section 25 – Functions and powers of the administrator; and (v) Section 26 – Power to make regulations.
