Asian women shocked over US polls’ focus on sexual harassment

TOKYO: Women in the Asia-Pacific region expressed dismay yesterday about the United States presidential campaign’s focus on the emotional topic of sexual harassment, saying it shows both democracy and the rights of women there have some way to go.

Hsiao Bi-khim, a lawmaker from Taiwan’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party, said she found it “rather incredible” that Donald Trump had survived politically in the face of the allegations.

Taiwan in January elected its first woman president, Tsai Ing-wen, and on gender equality at least, appears more advanced than the US, she said.

“Not only have we elected a woman president, but we have a higher percentage of women who are independently involved in politics and in leadership positions.”

Japan’s former minister for gender equality, Kuniko Inoguchi, said the rest of the world had been dismayed to see the US campaign devolve into “a downgraded debate on women’s issues” and it wouldn’t be happening if Hillary Clinton were a man.

“So, when the glass ceiling breaks, there are a lot of injuries that a woman must bear,” Inoguchi said.

A study commissioned by Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, published in March, found 28.7 per cent of women had experienced some form of sexual harassment, and 40 per cent of those said they had experienced unwanted touching.

South Korea, which in 2012 elected its first woman president, Park Geunhye, had slowly become more accepting of women politicians, said Park Young-sun, a female senior member of the Democratic Party of Korea, which has a majority in Parliament.

Young-sun said when she first entered Parliament, in 2004, female lawmakers were considered “decorative items on display”.

Nurul Izzah, a Malaysian member of parliament and daughter of jailed opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, said the US campaign debate was “a tragedy for women everywhere”.

Nurul said “there is a lot of condescension, prejudice” in Malaysian politics, but “political attacks are not focused on gender-specific issues”.

A senior female member of Indonesian President Joko Widodo’s government said what Trump had been accused of doing “would make him definitely unelectable in Indonesia”.

“What shocks me is that many Americans still accept him and make excuses for him.”

India, where sexual harassment and groping on public transport is known as “eve-teasing:, went through its own soul-searching over the issue after the death of a young woman, who was gang-raped in New Delhi in 2012.

“In our climate, a Donald Trumplike figure would have to apologise publicly,” said Maya Mirchandani, foreign affairs editor at NDTV, a leading news channel.

When she started in TV news in the 1990s, young female reporters were called “soundbite soldiers”, she said.

“Print journalists alleged that we used our bodies to stop politicians and get them to talk to us.”

Today, Indian law set clear guidelines for companies to ensure that harassment in the workplace was dealt with, she said.

Even Australia, known for its colourful language and no-holds barred political culture, had been shocked by the US presidential campaign, said Ged Kearney, female president of the Australian Council of Trade Unions.

“I think Donald Trump would definitely be unelectable in Australia. I don’t think there is any place for that level of misogyny and cheapening of politics.” Reuters