THERE seems to be no end in sight – news about sexism and harassment just keeps on coming. It is common knowledge that gender-based discrimination is prevalent in male-dominated industries and for us Malaysian women, we’re often expected to ignore or begrudgingly accept such onslaught as the new norm.

As a woman, I understand how such attitudes can fester – we live in a society where patriarchy dictates the choices we make life. But as a woman who understands how inappropriate that is, I strongly feel that we should not be afraid to stand up, stare down misogyny and put it in its place.

We often hear stories of how men in certain positions of power take advantage of their stature and believe that acting like lecherous sexual predators is appealing; lewd remarks that seemingly dismiss our achievements and contribution in modern society override decency and respect – and this is a culture that we should quash.

They say absolute power corrupts and when we take it into the context of gender relations – the evidence is jarring. Power leads people to think that they are absolutely invincible, they often do not take others’ perspectives into account and as a result, objectify those whom they perceived to be ‘weaker’.

 It is the classic cycle of abuse where the victim feels powerless and incapable of changing anything. In addition to the frustrations felt and the daunting sense of helplessness, society wills itself to embrace apathy as the traditional modern ethos we ought to live by. Reports are often swept under the rug, exposes are dismissed as fallacies and the people are made to remain silent or look right through the atrocities committed.

The solution to overcome this precarious problem is hard to identify, at least, the specifics are difficult because human nature and psychology are grey areas but fact remains: as long as gender imbalance exists, discrimination will be prevailing and rampant.

There is an urgent need to balance the structures of power – ensuring male-dominated industries no longer remain dominant to one  particular gender will be a great start. It could reduce the destructive attitudes and when there are more women at the top, we can begin to establish that these behaviours will not go unpunished, therefore, eliminating the fear of retributions in terms of job security and reputation of those who come forward.

Women who experience such forms of harassment or discrimination must also speak out and report such incidents – we need to replace the culture of fear and inaction with the one that emphasizes on courage and liability. Speaking out should no longer fall on deaf ears and those who commit such acts should no longer be allowed to go unpunished. 

For the last several decades and perhaps even longer, women are often made scapegoats, we are often blamed for our attire and the narrative has always been about how ‘not to get raped’ or ‘how to avoid being sexually harassed’ but now as more reports surface and more women aren’t afraid to go public, the time is fitting for society to take on the role of bystander intervention.

The complexity of understanding and addressing the sexual harassment and discrimination are unfortunately, related to our damaging conceptions of both male and female sexuality. Breaking the social stigma and taboos that exist isn’t just about revamping policies or sanctioning organizations. We need to empower citizens, in particular men and boys, to actively shut down conversations that are degrading to women.

It is definitely wrong to frame sexual harassment as something that only exists in particular industries because it is, in fact, a problem that exists everywhere and affects every level of society. It isn’t just a woman’s issue but a social problem we should tackle collectively.

When men stop other men from saying something derogatory or predatory towards women and girls, society can actively and effectively eradicate this unhealthy culture once and for all because when the narrative changes, the attitudes will too. – January 27, 2018.

* Syerleena is a councillor at the Penang Island City Council (MBPP). She is a Malaysian who believes that our life experiences shape us into fascinating beings.