Anti-sexual harassment justice must reflect the times

IT took two decades of pushing, and education, and awareness raising – mainly by women’s groups – to get the Anti-Sexual Harassment Act passed in 2022; it came into effect in March 2023.

After all that effort, it’s a shame that actually accessing the justice dispensed by the law is so difficult.

For instance, currently, complaints related to sexual harassment can only be filed physically in Putrajaya with the Tribunal for Anti-Sexual Harassment (TAGS). And tribunal hearings are only held there.

Can you imagine? It’s difficult enough overcoming doubts about being believed – instilled especially in women by society – and then you have to take the time to travel to Putrajaya to file the report. Even if the incident happened in Sabah or Sarawak!

How are we going to be persuaded to stand up to sexual harassment and refuse to live with it when it is so difficult to even just report an incident?

The good news is, the authorities are being responsive to complaints and suggestions: On Wednesday TAGS president Syafeera Mohd Said replied to calls from women’s groups to explain that “the Tribunal may sit... at such time and place as the president may determine. Additionally, the Women, Family, and Community Development Ministry has appointed tribunal members from Sarawak and Sabah.”

That means the tribunal’s proceedings can take place in both territories, she told The Star.

While suggestions to open physical counters in Sabah and Sarawak have been made to increase accessibility, the bigger step to take would be to make efiling of complaints a reality. It’s only logical in a time when we live a lot of our lives online.

While the ministry has said such a system is in the works, it is only expected to start operating next year – but can it not be expedited? Because, as many women’s groups have pointed out, justice cannot be delayed.

One suggestion from women’s groups and the public to make the efiling system user-friendly is to include language options in Malay, Mandarin, Tamil, and indigenous languages, in addition to English, to ensure broader accessibility.

Let’s ensure anti-sexual harassment justice in Malaysia reflects the times and uses all resources available, including digital avenues, to allow as many people as possible to have access to it.