More men should join sexual harassment programs, Nancy says

KAJANG: Inappropriate touching involving a male customer and a salesperson in a shopping center fitting room is an example of how men can experience unwanted touching, says Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri.

The Minister of Women, Family and Community Development narrated the incident linked to her by one of her officers, involving a friend, who faced physical harassment.

“One of my officers shared the story of a man who went shopping and was followed by a male salesperson who inappropriately touched him under the pretense of taking his body measurements.

“This man did not know the seller, who had no right to do so. So the guy shared with my agent what happened to him, about how even a potential customer can be a victim.

“This is why we urge more men to join our Skuad Waja, which has mainly female members. But this is no one’s fault. It is our duty to ensure that more men join the Skuad Waja because it is time we consider the voices of men on this issue (sexual harassment),” she said.

Skuad Waja is a volunteer initiative established by the Women’s Development Department (JPW) with the aim of raising awareness among the community.

Nancy said this today during a town hall session following the launch of the first Zero Tolerance Against Violence Program @KPWKM Anti-Sexual Harassment Advocacy in 2024, held at the Dewan Seri Sarjana, Universiti Tenaga Nasional (Uniten).

The program is part of the ministry’s efforts to raise awareness about sexual harassment among students across the country.

She added that involving men in the advocacy programs can not only help more men come forward, but also help them spread information about sexual harassment to their family and friends.

As of August 2024, a total of 442 cases of sexual harassment have been reported to the police. In 2022 there were 422, while in 2023 this increased to 460 cases.

The program was attended by approximately 1,500 students from Uniten and other nearby public universities.

Activities included oral arguments on sexual harassment by JPW, an introduction to the Sexual Harassment Tribunal, a lecture on cyberbullying by Cybersecurity Malaysia and a town hall session with Nancy.

This program aims to increase awareness and knowledge about sexual harassment, disseminate anti-harassment guidelines and notices to all segments of society, and provide information about the psychosocial support services offered by the Ministry, especially to tackle sexual harassment.

Also present at the event were Uniten Vice Chancellor Prof. Dr. Khairul Salleh Mohamed Sahari, JPW Director General Hanani Sapit, as well as senior officials from the ministry.