Sexual harassment has always been a deep-rooted issue in society, but many cases have gone unnoticed and unreported due to social stigma and many others. However, things have started to change for the better as student Ain Husniza recently caught the public’s attention and sparked a movement nationwide to address the issue.
Now is the time for change
Sexual harassment is a dark not-so-secret issue that exists in many corners of the world. In Malaysia alone, numerous individuals, regardless of their demographics have experienced different forms of sexual harassment and unfortunately, many of them go unreported.
As many turned a blind eye due to social stigma and threats, 17-year-old Ain Husniza Saiful Nizam has had enough. Taking to popular social media platform TikTok about rape jokes that her teacher made in class, Ain also revealed that after reports were made, they were often brushed off by her counselling teacher.
The video she posted on April 23 sparked nationwide debates and unravelled how sexual harassment has been considered as “a normal thing” within societies. Shortly after the video, many then confessed to experiencing the same, or worse. In recent reports, many female teachers also admitted to being victims as well.
Despite the tagline #MakeSchoolASaferPlace, talks regarding sexual harassment affect everyone regardless of place, and this is something serious that we as a society need to address. The issue has been going on and kept on the sidelines for ages.
According to research data collected by New Sarawak Tribune and #bukansalahkamek, a ‘Stop Sexual Violence’ campaign organised by Sarawak Woman for Woman Society (SWWS), a significant number of individuals had gone through numerous sexual harassment episodes.
“My eldest sister shared with me her story this year. She is now 28, and it happened twice when she was younger,” said Christina (not her real name). What makes it even more shocking is the fact that the perpetrators were her extended family members. “They have their own family now. I don’t want to ruin their lives now but I do want them to feel sorry for the situations they had put my sister into,” she added.
Live goes on for Christina, but not without trust issues. Hoping to educate children on the matter, she believed that society is not doing enough currently. “We need to teach the children, especially boys, about consent. If not much is done about this, over time, the toxic behaviour will be perceived as ‘normal’ and becomes somewhat ‘acceptable’ in our society.”
Another victim, Debbie (not her real name) shared an experience she had when she was 16. She revealed that the perpetrator was a close friend and that the boy had pestered her to send him nude photos. “Initially I took it as a joke and brushed it off aside as I consider him a close friend. But one time, we went out for drinks together. All of a sudden he started touching my private parts. Then he started to unzip, and I panicked!”
Despite Debbie’s resounding refusal, the boy tried to force himself on her. However, she managed to run off to safety. “The experience was disturbing, having someone you consider as a close friend who went on and try to do horrible things to you.”
There are many more stories like Christina’s and Debbie’s that go unreported, as many victims fear the repercussions and stigmas if they reached out to the authoritities. And each day, the number of cases grows because perpetrators will continue to harass victims as they receive no consequences for their actions.
What constitutes sexual harassment?
Speaking to the programme leader for the #bukansalahkamek campaign, Kimberley Tan, sexual harassment is defined as ‘unwelcome conduct engaged by a perpetrator in a sexual nature.’ “This often includes physical, verbal, non-verbal, visual, psychological, and online. It usually has the purpose or effect to violate the dignity of the person harassed, creating an intimidating, hostile and degrading environment.”
Having met and interviewed victims of sexual harassment personally, the SWWS committee member shared that sexual harassment can translate to cat-calling, unwanted touching, requests for sexual favours, and cornering someone. “Apart from that, requesting and circulating explicit photos without consent, and making sexual comments are also acts of sexual harassment.”
Why don’t people report it?
Explaining the act as detrimental, Kimberley conceded that many sexual harassment cases go unreported. “Shame and stigma, being silenced, lack of gender sensitivity and rape culture are among the reasons why we don’t hear about it often.”
Hence, the social activist hopes to see a safe environment for everyone. “Our children need to be exposed to sex education at a young age — knowledge on safe and unsafe touches, identifying their private parts and letting them know that there are trusted adults that they can speak to.”
She also opined that frontliners dealing with survivors should undergo effective training courses that help them to listen and respond better to victims. “When handling cases, they should avoid using their personal lens as a response,” she added.
Furthermore, individuals reporting their cases often received backlash from authorities for being scandalous, promiscuous, and/or weak for being unable to fight off the perpetrator. “Words like ‘Why didn’t you fight back? You loved it right?’ and ‘Then, why didn’t you shout?’ These are just some of the systemic problems of misogyny and rape culture that has been deeply embedded in our upbringing for generations.”
Kimberley hopes that one day, sex education will be included in the school curriculum. “I also hope that public awareness will be embedded from a young age and that in turn will create a more survivor-centric society.”
Perpetrators from a mental health viewpoint
In a separate interview with psychiatric pharmacist Laura Kho, she shared that sexual harassment has nothing to do with sexual desire or lust. Rather, it has much to do with power dynamics and imbalance. “The perpetrator is usually someone who is insecure, possibly has an inferiority complex, and feels that his or her power or position is being threatened by someone or something,” she said.
As an example, Laura described a man who sexually harasses a group of young students as deliberately picking a group of individuals who are perceived to be vulnerable and weak. “Thereby, the perpetrator feels like the act can boost his sense of self-importance and power.”
In return, the impact will leave survivors traumatised. “Survivors may become anxious and avoid certain situations or places which are associated with the perpetrator. They may also suffer from a loss of self-esteem and self-worth, blaming themselves for what had happened to them.”
The mental health advocate also added that survivors who are placed under such long-term stress may suffer from depression and anxiety-related disorders.
Having witnessed many instances, Laura lamented how sexual harassment is a systemic issue. “It is not a blame game. The rape culture and normalising of misogyny have been going on forever. Instead of ‘this is wrong, we have to stop this’, it is more common to hear responses such as ‘this is a normal thing’.”
The need for a solution
As an issue that has been going on for ages, sexual harassment is a problem that affects almost every person, male and female, young and old. Instead of averting the situation, it is time to look for solutions.
Mental Health Association of Sarawak (MHAS) committee member Laura said that first and foremost, society needs to stop victim-blaming. “It does not matter what they wear, how they look, what they say or do. What matters is perpetrators need to be held accountable for their actions, especially when victims involve minors.”
Laura also emphasised how educators or authorities should be open to conversations. “Instead of telling the survivors to hide, to stay silent or cover up the incident, they should teach people to behave better, to be accountable. Only when we stop normalising rape culture can we all stop the cycle and move forward.”
Adding on to Laura’s context, Kimberley urged for safe disclosure where survivors can be allowed to report without being stigmatised. “If it happens in school, students can report it to the school counsellor. If it happens at work, staff can report it to Human Resource. If it happens in public spaces, people can report it to the police.”
She also encouraged individuals with doubts and uncertainties, or those experiencing trouble reporting to initial parties, to approach local non-governmental organisations for help.
Why aren’t sexual harassment cases reported?
According to SWWS committee member, Kimberley Tan, there are several factors:
Shame and stigma: There is a general consensus of ‘sex’ being a topic of taboo in our culture.
Silenced: Survivors may have been threatened by perpetrators through extortion or blackmail, most likely when there is a power imbalance.
Lack of gender sensitivity: It would be best to provide options for survivors to report to a person of authority of their choice i.e. a survivor of sexual harassment may be too embarrassed to report it to a male police officer and may feel more comfortable reporting it to a female police officer.
Rape culture: Society is quick to victim-blame — “What were you wearing?”, “Why did you go alone?”, “I thought only girls can be harassed?”, “Are you not a man? Did you not enjoy it when a woman touch you?”
