Report sexual harassment to authorities immediately, Fahmi advises media practitioners

PUTRAJAYA - Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil today advised media practitioners who encounter sexual harassment while on duty to report such incidents to the authorities without delay.

This measure, he said, is to ensure the safety of media practitioners and to ensure justice for every victim.

"I want to assure all journalists, whether you are male or female, if you are a victim of sexual harassment please file a police report and also inform me," he said at the post-Cabinet meeting press conference here today.

Previously, a female journalist was reported to have experienced sexual harassment while covering the Sungai Bakap state by-election last month.

Regarding that incident, Fahmi, who is also the Unity Government sopkesman, said he was informed that the case was classified as No Further Action (NFA).

"I have just received information about the matter and intend to raise it with the police. However, since the investigation is not yet completed, I cannot comment further on it," he said.

Regarding a former Member of Parliament (MP) alleged to be involved in a sexual harassment case, Fahmi said he is leaving it to the police to investigate the matter.

"We have not received detailed information about the case, so we leave it to the police to conduct the investigation," he said.

The media reported that the police are investigating a former MP alleged to be involved in sexual harassment of a woman at a mall in Kota Damansara, Selangor.

Petaling Jaya District Police Chief ACP Shahrulnizam Ja'afar was reported as saying that the investigation was initiated after a viral 18-second video related to the allegation was detected.

Shahrulnizam said the suspect is believed to be working in a statutory body and holds a non-executive director position. - BERNAMA