The issue of sexual harassment at workplace was raised by Legislative Council (LegCo) member Yang Berhormat Hajah Safiah binti Sheikh Haji Abdul Salam during the 20th session of the LegCo meeting yesterday.
According to Yang Berhormat Hajah Safiah, 23 cases were reported in 2023, and seven and 13 in 2021 and 2022 respectively.
Despite the number of reported cases being small, given the 82,000 women in the workforce, it is believed that there are many unreported incidents due to social stigma, embarrassment, safety concern for themselves and their family members, not knowing their rights, or the proper procedure for lodging a complaint.
Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports Yang Berhormat Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Nazmi bin Haji Mohamad responded by reiterating that the government takes the matter seriously.
He said, “A dedicated hotline, Welfare Line 141, has been set up as the official platform to log public concerns, queries and social and welfare assistance issues.
“Those manning the hotline are qualified to handle a variety of issues, including sexual harassments.” – Rokiah Mahmud
