“Laws on sexual harassment are primarily focussed on individual persons, and there is a gap when it comes to holding organisations accountable,” she told reporters in Kuching.

“We need to amend existing legislation to ensure organisations can be held liable if they fail to address cases of sexual harassment,” The Borneo Post quoted her as saying.

The Anti-Sexual Harassment Act 2022 came into force on Oct 18 last year.

Nancy also highlighted the need for measures to require organisations to take proactive steps in addressing sexual harassment, rather than placing the burden solely on victims to report incidents.

She said the proposed amendments would be made with the aim of strengthening the law and ensuring fairness for all victims of sexual harassment, regardless of gender, within organisations.

“At this initial stage, I have made a personal request that this matter be reviewed and studied for potential amendments,” she said after opening a community event in her parliamentary constituency of Santubong.

“If necessary, we will introduce stricter laws because, without proportionate action, it would be unfair to the victims, be they women or men,” Bernama quoted her as saying.

She revealed that eight sexual harassment cases have been brought before the sexual harassment tribunal.

Nancy urged victims of sexual harassment to report their cases through the ministry’s platform to ensure prompt action.

“We are committed to doing what is fair to protect victims. Depression is a prevalent issue in Malaysia and one of the contributing factors is the lack of protection and action against sexual harassment cases,” she said.

The call for reforms comes in the wake of a recent incident involving a senior bank official in Perak who was accused of sexually harassing a female employee since 2021. The bank has denied the allegations.