Debilitating stress reaction, including anxiety, depression, headaches, sleep disorders, weight fluctuation, nausea, lowered self-esteem and sexual dysfunction. These are just some of the horrendous effects of sexual harassment, an atrocious act of unwelcomed sexual behaviors forced upon another human life. Even in the midst of a global epidemic, the fight to table a Bill still goes on. A Bill to enforce upon the law that protects not only our rights, but the safety and comfort of knowing that the next time we step out of our house, the threat of getting sniped by a degenerate has been vanquished. 

    However, in this long dragged out battle, a large group of survivors have always been left out of the conversation. Yes, I'm talking about the male survivors of sexual harassment. Do male survivors even exist in Malaysia? Well to many people’s surprise, yes. In fact, 21% of the reported cases of sexual harassment were from men, according to former Women, Family and Community Development Deputy Minister Hannah Yeoh in 2019, and the real value could be higher due to the stigma surrounding around reporting for male survivors. A survey carried out by YouGov Omnibus among 1,002 Malaysians found that of the 36% of women and 17% of men who have experienced sexual harassment, women are more likely to report their cases than their male counterparts at 57% percent. 

    Well, that can’t be right! Men are supposed to be stronger right? How can they be sexually harassed? Are the effects of sexual harassment on men the same as the effects it has on women? Yes. As it appears, stress and PTSD does not care about how many X chromosomes you have. Robin Bailey, a senior lecturer in Psychological Therapies from University of Central Lancashire stated that men who have been sexually harassed are more likely to experience high levels of anxiety, depression and alcohol abuse. This can in turn lead to education and employment problems, such as dropping out of school, quitting work and low morale. 

    So, what’s stopping men from reporting sexual harassment? It’s imperative to note that toxic masculinity plays a part in a lot of societal issues, including sexual harassment. Generally, the set of attitudes stereotypically expected of men are to be assertive, stoic, courageous, and not to be pushed around as displayed in the media - to be ‘the Joker, the Jock, the Strong Silent Type, the Big Shot and the Action Hero’. Can a man really be sexually harassed? “In some instances, they shied away from reporting the harassment as they feared no one would believe that they were sexually harassed,” said Hannah Yeoh at the Northern Region Institute of Public Administration in Sungai Petani in a seminar on 'Handling Sexual Harassment at the Workplace'. As a result of toxic masculinity running in today’s world, society refuse to believe that sexual harassment can happen to males as well. Adding on, in an article titled ‘WHY MEN ARE LESS LIKELY TO REPORT SEXUAL HARASSMENT’ by Levin and Nalbandyan Trial Lawyers, it is written that men would ignore sexual harssment due to fear of retaliation from the harasser espcially if they are of a higher position of power, fear of having their heterosexuality questioned, and fear of getting mocked by their colleagues due to being different from their form of masculinity. 

    Furthermore, it is also harder for men in Malaysia to find a helping hand. Hannah Yeoh also stated that another reason why men would sweep it under the rug when sexually harassed is because of slow prosecution. Of all the sexual harassment cases reported by men, only 2.5% of the cases were prosecuted while 97.45% are still under investigation. This is a problem as a slow prosecution rate leads to a longer period for more interactions between the male survivor and the harasser. The slow prosecution rates could be because, according to Romeo Vitelli, a psychologist with a PhD in Psychology, “sexual harassment against men aren’t taken seriously”. 

    In Malaysia, we have amazing female issues-based NGOs like All Women’s Action Society, Women’s Aid Organisation, Women’s Centre for Change Penang, Sarawak Women for Women Society, Sabah Women’s Action-Resource Group for women yet we have little to none NGOs like them for men. The mere existence of 1 or 2 NGOs similar to the Association for the Protection of Men in India or Men's Health Network in the U.S. in our country would help expand the public's perception to include the idea that yes, indeed men do have problems too. For example, do you know that issues faced by men include higher suicide rates, toxic masculinity, higher fatality rates at workplaces, higher chances of being unsheltered, domestic violence and of course, sexual harassment. Public awareness on these issues would definitely encourage the likelihood of a man reporting if they are getting sexually harassed at work or school. However, if you are a man in need of help in Malaysia, All Women’s Action Society would provide advice and assistance in social work. In case you aren’t aware, there are supportive organisations that fight for gender equality. WAO’s TINA (Think I Need Aid) and AWAM’s Telenita provide help for whoever is in need regardless of gender. 

    Hence, the fight for sexual harassment isn’t only a women’s fight. It’s a fight for all gender groups. This year, AWAM is determined to finish their 20-year mission of making sure the Sexual Harassment Bill gets tabled. Our current law against sexual harassment is deeply flawed and this Bill serves to change it in terms of coverage, access, and accountability of organisations that does not have a sexual harassment policy. If you would like to be part of this fight as well, you may start conversations about it with your friends and family, spread information about this campaign on social media with the hashtag #DontDisappointUs, #JanganHampakanKami, and #AWAMForTheBill or sign their petition and donate to the cause. 

AWAM currently has garnered over 16,000 e-signatures, BUT the traditional Paper Petition is what gets this cause heard in Parliament. YOUR help is needed to amplify the Rakyat’s call for our MPs to address sexual harassment head-on‼️ Follow these steps to sign the paper petition: 

1. Get in touch with AWAM via Instagram @awammalaysia or call them at 0378774221 to get your copy of the petition. 

2. Sign the Petition. Remember to include your IC number, address and full name 📝 

3. Send the petition back to AWAM! You have 2 options for this depending on where you stay📬📫 

*The paper petition is open to Malaysians ONLY. But remember, the Sexual Harassment Act is for everyone! 

*The 2nd image ‘How to send it back’ has a mistake. Petitions sent via PosLaju must be mailed before 16th November).