PETALING JAYA: Ana (not her real name) expected a typical date night at the local mall with her boyfriend, but it quickly became one of the most traumatic nights of her life.
Recounting her experience, the 17-year-old who lives in the Klang Valley said that her ex-boyfriend had tried to hold her hand, and grope and kiss her, every time they met.
They got to know each other through a social media application a few months back.
On that date night, he made an attempt to touch her.
“In the cinema, we were seated at a secluded spot in the back row for a midnight movie.
“Just a few minutes after the movie started, he started to touch me inappropriately. I was so uncomfortable and told him to stop,” said Ana.
She thought that she could trust her partner, but clearly, he did not respect her wishes.
“I kept pushing his hands (away) and was clearly shaken. I did not know what to do then. I wished I could have left him but I had feelings for him at that time,” she shared.
A few weeks later, they broke up after arguing about their relationship.
“I couldn’t tell anyone about this because I was too embarrassed.
“I wished there was something that could protect me. I’m afraid that I will be judged by my parents,” she added.
Ana’s ordeal is part of a troubling pattern, echoed by 19-year-old Lydia (not her real name), who faced a similar violation while awaiting acceptance into her tertiary education programme.
“I met my boyfriend when I was working part-time at a restaurant while waiting to continue my studies.
“It was fine at first and I quickly fell in love with him. He was very good with his words and always complimented my physical appearance,” said Lydia.
Later, her boyfriend began sharing inappropriate photos of himself and demanded her response.
“I really hated it when he sent the photos of his private parts. He would then ask me to do the same,” she said.
Lydia also noted that he frequently made lewd remarks about what he wanted to do to her.“At one point, he tried to give me a ‘love bite’ on my neck and insisted it was normal for couples to do that.
“I was too afraid to tell anyone except my close friends. It was really traumatic,” she said.
Lydia hoped to come to terms with her experience and find the courage to report it to the authorities.
“But I was worried that they would not do anything about it. I am still traumatised until today,” she said.
