“The government needs to act on this issue by focusing on ways to protect and support our students but the postponement of the Sexual Harassment Bill due to the closure of Parliament is not helping in any way,” said nine groups in a joint statement.
The involved groups are StandUp Malaysia, YPolitics, All Women’s Action Society, Family Frontiers, The Noeo Project, Sarawak Women for Women Society, Sabah Women’s Action Resource Group, Time To Talk and 111 Initiative.
Among their recommendations for the roadmap was for the government and educational institutions to create a national reporting system that allowed students to file complaints against their perpetrators.
“The offender must also be suspended from employment while investigations are being concluded,” they said, adding that this allowed authorities to investigate through SOPs that were not discretionary according to the affected school.
“This allows the relevant authorities to investigate through a proper standard operating procedure that is neither discretionary nor arbitrary according to the education institution.”
It also called for an anti-sexual harassment campaign to increase awareness of its impacts and promote a shift in socio-cultural misconceptions on sexual harassment.
The campaign’s focus, they said, should look at ending sexual harassment behaviour that could have harmful effects on survivors.
They urged Putrajaya to set up an independent body to exercise autonomous control over regulating and monitoring a proper reporting and investigation process for every complaint.
“This will prevent cases from being concealed or ignored by the relevant agencies for public relations purposes through legal settlements and/or alternative dispute resolution measures.
“Furthermore, the independent body will facilitate a proper and just action to be taken against the perpetrators.”
Mental health treatment or professional counselling for sexual harassment survivors to recover from the traumatic experience should also be provided or subsidised, they said.
“Professional mental health services are not affordable for many students, and there have been reported cases of biased counsellors adding secondary trauma for the survivor.
“Hence, providing or subsidising mental health treatment costs at their professional centre of choice can assist the students to heal and return to their normal routine.”