“The higher education ministry has remained silent (on the case) until now,” said UM Feminism Club (UMFC) president Chin Jes Weng at a press conference in front of the UM Chancellery Building here today.
Chin also hit out at certain UM student groups, which she claimed had mostly remained silent when the alleged victims needed support.
“This is contrary to their promises of combatting sexual harassment during the campus elections,” she said.
Chin and UM gender studies masters graduate spokesman S Indramalar presented a memorandum to UM’s integrity unit head, Nur Syazwani Rosli.
Their demands include an immediate suspension of the professor pending an investigation, for the allegations to be investigated thoroughly, and for reforms to UM’s sexual harassment policies.
The memorandum was supported by 27 representatives from NGOs like the Women’s Aid Organisation (WAO) and Suara Rakyat Malaysia (Suaram).
Also present at the press conference were UM Academic Staff Association executive council member Aznijar Ahmad Yazid.
On Dec 18, UM confirmed receiving a report on the allegations against the professor but declined to comment on the case as it had been referred to the authorities for investigation.
Indramalar claimed that this was not an isolated incident, saying a small-scale survey by UMFC found that one in five students at the university had experienced sexual harassment at UM.
According to the January 2024 survey sighted by FMT, 45 out of 200 respondents, or 22.5%, said they had experienced sexual harassment on campus.
Only five students, or 11.11% of the 45, took action by filing a report or submitted official complaints.
The survey also found that 83% or 166 respondents were not aware about the existence of the UM Code of Free From Sexual Exploitation, Abuse, and Harassment, implemented in September 2021.
“The incident represents only a fraction of the many sexual harassment cases on campus, including numerous unreported cases driven by students’ fear and lack of confidence in UM’s commitment to address the issue effectively.
“The repetition of such experiences indicate the prevalence of sexual exploitation and they highlight a broader systemic issue that makes the campus an unsafe environment,” Indramalar said.
She said UM’s anti-sexual harassment code needs to be revamped to focus on protecting and empowering survivors instead of safeguarding the institution’s reputation.
“One of the main improvements must include expediting the timeline for the complaints and investigation process,” she said, adding that the review should involve staff representatives and student bodies.
Indramalar also called for the establishment of an independent sexual harassment office or ombudsman within the university to ensure impartiality in handling complaints.
She said regular independent audits should be conducted on how sexual harassment complaints are handled, with the results made publicly available to ensure accountability.
“Annual reports should be published, detailing the overall findings of the number of complaints received, the processes followed, and the outcome of investigations,” she said.