Misguided Health Ministry article on sexual harassment comes under fire

PETALING JAYA: An old Health Ministry article containing misguided advice on how to avoid being sexually harassed at the workplace is being criticised by Hannah Yeoh (pic).

"I was alerted to this article. This is absolutely wrong," said the former deputy Women, Family and Community Development minister on Monday (April 12) on Twitter.

The article is believed to have been posted in 2016 and only quoted online sources as its four references.

It also contains wrong or outdated notions of the causes of sexual harassment which are listed as physical attractiveness, unsuitable clothing style, unrestricted social interactions, a person's power and status and culture.

The article also seems to pin the blame heavily on women and even suggest that women should avoid working overtime alone to prevent unwanted acts or attention.

Instead, it proposed that women bring home unfinished tasks or be accompanied by other colleagues if they need to complete the task at the office.

Others responding to the tweet also criticised the article saying it lacked scientific evidence and promoted victim-blaming.

Among those who responded was senior consultant paediatrician Datuk Dr Amar Singh HSS who agreed with Yeoh, who is Segambut MP, and described the article as nonsensical.

"Putting all the blame on women for sexual harassment, wonder how it could be approved in the first place.

"The (Health Ministry) should remove it as soon as possible," he tweeted, tagging the ministry's official Twitter handle @KKMPutrajaya.

Several movements in the country have made continuous efforts to better educate society about sexual harassment.

The All Women's Action Society (Awam), an independent feminist non-profit organisation describes sexual harassment as any unwanted or unwelcome conduct that is sexual in nature and may be committed physically, verbally, non-verbally, psychologically and visually.

It can also be perceived as a spectrum ranging from benign acts such as catcalling on the lower end to more severe acts such as aggravated stalking on the extreme side.

Recently, there have been calls to expedite the tabling of the Sexual Harassment Bill, which Awam and other NGOs in the coalition of Joint Action Group for Gender Equality (JAG) have been working on for over 20 years.

In February, Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Rina Mohd Harun said the draft of the Bill was in the final stage for scrutiny by the Attorney General’s Chambers and is expected to be tabled at the next Dewan Rakyat session.

I have been alerted about this article. This is absolutely wrong. @KKMPutrajaya must remove this - https://t.co/cIOI6y0Wd4 @DrAmarMOH @DrDzul @leeboonchye pic.twitter.com/8zXLzX6iW0 — Hannah Yeoh (@hannahyeoh) April 12,2021