THERE needs to be stronger laws against sexual harassment following accusations of such acts at a popular radio station, said the Institute of Journalists Malaysia (IoJ).

IoJ said such claims of sexual harassment underscored the “urgent need” for legislation to reduce such incidences, if not completely cut them out, at any workplace.

“This recent news report points towards a much larger problem facing the media industry, where many victims, mostly women, dare not speak up, for fear of retribution or public attack for standing up for their rights,” IoJ said in a statement today.

“While companies may have internal reporting policies on paper, the fact that a person felt the need to write her plight, and that of other alleged victims, in an anonymous letter to other news outlets, is very worrying.”

Business radio station BFM 89.9 said it has examined claims of sexual harassment at its workplace, following an anonymous email sent to several media outlets this week.  

In August, Deputy Women, Family and Community Development Minister Hannah Yeoh said there was an urgent need to put in place specific laws to prevent sexual harassment at the workplace.

IoJ said although that remark came in response to a senior doctor harassing his female juniors in a hospital, the latest anonymous letter was a reminder of the urgency of comprehensive laws to prevent sexual misconduct across all industries, such as through legislating Malaysia’s Sexual Harassment Act into being.

“Unfortunately, many victims of such dare not speak up, especially in a workplace like the newsroom or the general media industry, where power dynamics are imbalanced towards a few powerful gatekeepers.

“While the media outlet in question has responded that it is carrying out internal investigations, the IoJ hopes that the investigations will be done without fear or favour, and that the victim(s) are given a safe space in which to address their issues at the workplace.” 

The IoJ said it welcomed fellow journalists and civil society organisations in identifying ways to move this conversation into “concrete action”.

“This conversation should not end here with empty promises to do better until the next incident. The larger issue here is the culture of silence that affects victims of sexual harassment and assault.”

Following a Federal Court judgment in 2016 in a sexual harassment case between two former Tabung Haji employees, victims now may take legal action against their harassers before the civil court beyond the narrow remedy provided by the Employment Act. – December 3, 2018.