Say 'no' to sexual harassment
Inner Wheel Club of Alor Setar
21 May 2022
On 21 May 2022, Inner Wheel Club of Alor Setar (IWC AS) organised a webinar - SAY NO TO SEXUAL HARASSMENT. The webinar was facilitated by Ms. Hastiny Subramaniam, an Advocacy Officer at the Women’s Centre for Change (WCC). The webinar was attended by a small group of 22 members and friends, who left the webinar with so much more knowledge on what constitutes sexual harassment which is so prevalent in society nowadays.
What is sexual harassment? It includes among others, unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favours, inappropriate touching and other verbal or physical harassment of a sexual nature. It can happen in many different scenarios, including in the workplace, after-hours conversations, exchanges in the hallways, and non-office settings of employees or peers as well as in the learning environment. Sexual harassment does not always have to be specifically about sexual behaviour or directed at any one specific person. If negative comments about women as a group are made, it is construed as a form of sexual harassment.
Hastiny went on to inform that sexual harassment can occur in various circumstances. The harasser can identify with any gender and have any relationship to the victim, including being a direct manager, indirect supervisor, co-worker, teacher, peer, or colleague. Sexual harassment can take various forms and some of these include making conditions of employment or advancement dependent on sexual favours, either explicitly or implicitly; physical acts of sexual assault; requests for sexual favours; verbal harassment of a sexual nature, including jokes referring to sexual acts or sexual orientation; inappropriate touching or physical contact; unwelcome sexual advances, “and the list goes on”, said Hastiny.
The participants were then told what can be done if one is a witness to sexual harassment. Witnesses can help via a term known as bystander intervention. This means when one sees someone who might be in danger or at risk of sexual assault or harassment, that witness can intervene in a way that fits his or her comfort level and is appropriate for the situation. Among the things that can be done are creating a distraction, asking directly and delegating to others.
The after-effects of sexual harassment can be devastating for the victim, and most face emotional, physical, and mental health concerns. Emotional effects include anger, fear, humiliation, shame, guilt, betrayal, powerlessness and loss of control; while mental effects can be anxiety, depression, panic attacks, substance abuse, etc. Other effects include suicidal ideation, increased stress, fatigue as well as sleeping and eating disturbances.
Before the question-and-answer session, Hastiny informed the attendees of where to go for help and the various kinds of help that WCC can provide. Although currently there is no one piece of legislation to address all forms of sexual harassment, a Bill is being tabled in Parliament which would allow sexual harassment victims to have a better platform to seek help, and perhaps the Bill and its accompanying stringent penalties could help to curb acts of sexual harassment.
IWC AS thanks Ms. Hastiny for her very enlightening talk and looks forward to forging closer ties with WCC, in line with the Club’s own efforts to make a difference in the lives of women and children, who comprise the majority of sexual harassment victims, going by current statistics.
~ Shantha Pillai