Stop the blame game, shame the sexual predators!

By Syerleena Abdul Rashid

In recent months, stories of sexual harassment have surfaced and highlight the extent of abusive behaviour towards women.

Men in media and now, in government, have been exposed for their inappropriate behaviour. Therefore, the onus is on us to rightly remove them from their positions and publicly shame them for their vulgarities.

There have been too many disturbing stories of threatening mannerisms and insulting attitudes towards female elected officials, journalists, activists and athletes.

Too many reports have been ignored and swept under the rug; and the lackadaisical attitudes we are forced to deal with will only worsen the situation. Therefore, the foulness of sexual harassment must be addressed sufficiently, diligently and promptly.

In the span of two weeks, we have uncovered two gross acts committed against women.

The first comes in the form of a Facebook video which has gone viral and was eventually picked up by international portals.

In the video, a man is seen confronting a group of women (exact location is still unknown) and singling out two for not wearing the hijab (headscarf).

After verbally assaulting both, he slaps one of them. The other woman watches silently, which also raises the question as to why she failed to act and why there was no police report lodged against this man.

Some have stated that the man in the video was mentally unstable and have dismissed the seriousness of the unprovoked abuse. Regardless of the situation and whatever justification one might have, a man must never inflict physical and mental harm on a woman.

What this incident proves is the raging insolence and disrespect some factions in our society have towards women. It has become far more serious than initially thought.

The second was an expose by another international news portal which reported how a female journalist was subjected to lewd and unprofessional behaviour by male politicians.

Since then, several reports have also begun to surface and reveal the varying levels of sexual harassment female journalists often face.

Commenting on the report and speaking on behalf of the National Union of Journalists (NUJ), its president Mohd Taufek Razak was quoted to have said that “female practitioners should mind their appearance while on duty and not dress sexily in order to avert sexual harassment”.

This served as another backhanded slap for women empowerment and gender equality. It simply is not wise to put the blame on women and how we choose to dress because the focus ought to be on how men should exercise common sense and decency to keep their libidos in check.

Surely, a man of his stature could have framed his argument differently as this is the 21st century and such a reproach of fellow journalists is not only counter-productive but intensely nauseating.

Gender discrimination and sexual harassment thrive in male-dominated areas, as society becomes more complex and women take on non-traditional gender roles.

There will be resistance from factions who are unable to satiate their own insecurities. Our problems stem from social regression and simply not having enough conversations about the effects of sexual harassment or how such attitudes negate progressivism.

For too long, too many men have lived in societies that have imparted them an inflated sense of power, where they think they can do and say whatever they want and not be held accountable or liable for their actions. These men are bullies and cowards who are unable to come to terms with the changes in present day society.

In 2018, women should expect improvements in social standing and no longer be forced to play second fiddle. Women should protect each other and feel empowered enough to report any acts of sexual harassment they face.

No one should be put in a position they feel uncomfortable about or made to feel less worthy because of their gender and, certainly, not because of how they dress.

Discrimination, harassment and rape must never be accepted or tolerated. What should be accepted is a culture that holds predators and bullies answerable for the gross indecencies they foolishly exhibit.

Syerleena Abdul Rashid is DAP Wanita’s national assistant publicity secretary and Penang city councillor.

The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of FMT.