THE Social Support Centre of Yayasan Kebajikan Negara said it has received 1,213 reports of sexual harassment since May.

Deputy Women, Family and Community Development Minister Aiman Athirah Sabu said 351 (28.9%) of the reports made during 12 rounds of the ministry’s Anti-Sexual Harassment Advocacy Roadshow were made by men.

“Men should not take this issue lightly because they are not immune to sexual harassment,” she said when officiating the 13th round of the roadshow in Kangar today.

On May 29, Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi launched the national Anti-Sexual Harassment Advocacy Roadshow in Putrajaya, with the aim of raising awareness of sexual harassment among society.

After the event, Aiman Athirah said the sexual harassment reports included incidents at the workplace and at home.

She said police statistics showed 477 cases of sexual harassment were reported in 2022, compared with 506 in 2021, and that the majority of victims were women.

“However, we must admit many incidences of sexual harassment are still not reported to the authorities, and the actual number may be higher,” she said.

Aiman Athirah said a 2021 Unicef Malaysia report showed at least 4% of children aged 12 to 17 were subjected to online sexual abuse. – Bernama, October 29, 2023.