The group said there should be no further delay in tabling a bill of such public importance.
“Such legislation is crucial and must provide platforms where complainants are protected from reprisals and are able to stand up for themselves, and against the alleged perpetrator without the fear of being further harassed or intimidated,” SLS said in a statement here today.
“All complaints of harassment or sexual harassment to the authorities should be dealt with swiftly and victims should be treated with respect at all times.”
The statement was jointly issued by SLS president Roger Chin and SLS Women and Children’s Rights Sub-Committee chairman Mary Gomez.
This follows a similar call by former deputy chief minister Christina Liew yesterday.
Liew, who is also Tawau MP, had expressed hope that the tabling of the long-overdue bill in Parliament, set for Dec 16, would be for real this time.
She said many pledges on the introduction of a separate law to deal with sexual harassment issues had not been honoured previously.
Deputy women, family and community development minister Siti Zailah Mohd Yusoff had said the Sexual Harassment Bill may be presented in the Dewan Rakyat by Dec 16.
She said that once the attorney-general’s chambers (AGC) and the Cabinet had approved it, the bill would be tabled for first reading during this parliamentary session.
Meanwhile, SLS also called for greater awareness about what harassment and sexual harassment are, and their impact on survivors and society in general.
The group recommended the provision of a suitable and robust support system for those who have experienced emotional and psychological distress as a result of sexual harassment.
“SLS has been working with the Association of Women Lawyers to develop standard operating procedures that law firms in Sabah can put in place, to ensure that the legal workplace is a conducive and safe one for all stakeholders.
“Further, the SLS has also developed its own policies about handling instances of harassment and sexual harassment in the legal profession here,” the group said.
It added that complaints of harassment and sexual harassment against lawyers in Sabah would be dealt with as misconduct under Section 12B of the Advocates Ordinance.