Online sexual harassment victims urged to lodge police reports, says deputy minister

KUALA TERENGGANU: Victims of online sexual harassment have been urged to report such incidents to the authorities, says Aiman Athirah Sabu.

The Deputy Women, Family, and Community Development Minister said that online sexual harassment cases are increasing, due to the rapid growth of advanced communication gadgets and social media.

Therefore, victims should come forward and report to the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) and the police, to curb these crimes from spreading, she added.

"Sexual harassment is not limited to physical encounters; it has also spread online due to the influence of gadgets and social media.

"Comments on social media can also be a form of sexual harassment. If the victim feels uncomfortable, they can report it to the MCMC and the police for further action,” she said at the Terengganu-level "Jerayawara Kasih KPWKM@Advokasi Antigangguan Seksual", an anti-sexual harassment advocacy roadshow, here Sunday (Sept 10).

Meanwhile, Aiman Athirah said that there were only 14 sexual harassment cases reported in Terengganu last year with one of them involving a child.

She warned that this situation should be taken seriously, because the effects on the victims could be long-lasting.

"Last year, there were 477 sexual harassment cases recorded, but we suspect the actual number is higher because of underreporting,” she added.

Aiman Athirah said that Terengganu is the eighth location for the roadshow, and it will continue in five more locations, namely Sabah, Kedah, Perak, Kuala Lumpur, and Johor, before the end of this year. - Bernama