PETALING JAYA: The Joint Action Group for Gender Equality (JAG) has joined leaders and citizens to express its outrage over recent complaints of sexual harassment made by various women against policemen who stopped them at roadblocks.
“We are disappointed that the Women, Family and Community Development Minister remained silent until she was pressured by an opposition MP to respond to the situation. We are completely dismayed that she turned her office into a studio for a photo shoot in which she modelled Raya fashion wear, which is an abuse of her position in public office,” they said in a statement.
JAG also hoped the minister and policy makers will take these latest incidents as an urgent call to take sexual harassment seriously and address this issue through comprehensive legislation.
It was also highlighted that in the alleged sexual harassment incidents that occurred at roadblocks, the minister had urged all parties “not to call into question the credibility of the entire institution of the Royal Malaysian Police who have sacrificed a lot in ensuring national security”.
However, JAG added that it was important to note that the latest three cases of roadblock sexual harassment are part of a string of incidents of sexual violence against women and girls involving the police in under one year.
“Last month, a 16-year-old girl was raped by another inmate while in police custody at a lock-up in Miri. In April 2020, a police officer was charged for trafficking and sexually exploiting two Mongolian women who were stopped at a roadblock. We are deeply concerned that such incidents indicate a pattern of abuse of power by the police.
“While we do not dispute the role of the police in maintaining national security, we believe that they as a public institution - along with all other public and private institutions and individual actors - must be held accountable for such violations,” JAG said in their statement.
JAG also pointed out that it is imperative, particularly at times like now, when the police wield so much power in terms of regulating movement and ensuring compliance with measures to curb the spread of Covid-19, that the integrity and behaviour of their personnel is beyond reproach.
They called for the recent complaints of sexual harassment to be investigated quickly and when charges are brought, they should be tried speedily and the outcomes made public.
