Abstract
On 15th December 2021, The Anti-Sexual Harassment Bill 2021 was tabled for its first reading in the Dewan Rakyat following countless complaints that have been filed over the years. This bill will hopefully introduce the jurisdiction for the cases to be heard and determined in court by any individual. The statistics according to the 2019 YouGov Omnibus survey showed that in 1000 respondents, 36% of women and 17% of men have experienced some sort of sexual harassment in public spaces. Therefore, disregarding the stigma of gender in which anyone can be exposed to the threat of this social disease, a law that can protect the human rights of everyone is very much needed in promising a better environment, especially for future generations. Though the current law may provide some protection against these threats, introducing a law solely focused on the topic of sexual harassment may altogether highlight the importance of this and how severe the issue is. Following multiple other countries that have chosen to implement this type of law in their judicial jurisdictions brings a hope that this may also succeed in being accepted in Malaysia. As a result, now that the bill has been brought forth in the Dewan Rakyat, it brings the question of whether the Anti-Sexual Harassment Bill 2021 will potentially safeguard the human rights of everyone in the country.
Humaira Ardini Binti Hizamel, Universiti Utara Malaysia
humaira_ardini_h@sol.uum.edu.my
Comments