‘Tighten anti-sex abuse laws’
Groups call for proper avenues to tackle workplace harassment
PETALING JAYA: Not every employer puts in place procedures for investigating sexual abuse cases and instituting the necessary disciplinary action, says National Council of Women’s Organisations (NCWO) president Tan Sri Dr Sharifah Hapsah Syed Hasan Shahabudin.
Following media reports of houseman sexual abuse claims, women groups are calling for stricter legislation to prevent sexual harassment in hospitals and at the workplace in general.
“A law needs to be in place. Currently, there is only the Human Resources Ministry’s Code of Practice for the Prevention and Eradication of Sexual Harassment at the Workplace,” Dr Sharifah Hapsah said when contacted.
Coming from the medical field, she said there had been cases where some doctors disguised sexual harassment by using medical terminology and made it appear as a joke.
“They use medical terms to the point where it gets excessive and you know their intentions in doing so,” said Dr Sharifah Hapsah, who served her housemanship in 1973.
On Sunday, The Star reported that a group of housemen had fallen prey to the sexual advances and threats of a senior doctor, who is the orthopaedics department head of a hospital in the Klang Valley.
Women’s Aid Organisation (WAO) communications officer Tan Heang-Lee urged the Government to enact the Sexual Harassment Act to tackle workplace sexual harassment.
“The Act must comprehensively protect against sexual harassment in any setting and make it easier for victims to seek justice,” she said.
For hospitals, Tan added, confidential complaint mechanisms needed to be set up to prevent cases of sexual abuse.
“The Health Ministry needs to take proactive steps to prevent further cases,” she said.
The ministry must also ensure that the women who spoke up were protected throughout and after the investigation, she added.
She said sexual harassment at the workplace was enabled by power imbalance and perpetrators were often in positions of power.
Sisters in Islam communications manager Majidah Hashim said such cases of sexual abuse underscored the importance of the Sexual Harassment Act.
“The enactment of such an Act has been promised by the Pakatan Harapan Government in its manifesto,” she said.
With regards to the sexual abuse cases in the Klang Valley hospital, she said it was worrying that the housemen needed the approval of a superior to complete their housemanship.
“In a relationship such as this where there is a clear imbalance of power, it is important that victims come forward and voice out their experiences,” she added.