KUALA LUMPUR: One in five Universiti Malaya (UM) students have experienced sexual harassment during their university life, and only 11.1% of these victims took action, according to a survey.

Recent survey findings conducted by the Universiti Malaya Feminism Club (UMFC) found that 22.5% of its students — both male and female – experienced some form of sexual harassment with 88.9% of them choosing not to report their experiences.

This, said UMFC president Chen Jes Weng, 23, can be attributed to a lack of awareness about the university's anti-sexual harassment protocols and the subsequent course of action.

She said the implications of these findings are serious and needed urgent attention from the university’s administration.

“Students must feel confident that they can report incidents of sexual assault or harassment on campus and be listened to.

“The reluctance of victims to report such incidents shows a huge problem in addressing and preventing sexual misconduct,” she said when met at UM on Friday (March 29).

UMFC submitted a memorandum to the university’s administration on Friday, proposing the creation of an Anti-Sexual Misconduct Committee (ASMC) within the Universiti Malaya Student Union.

The memorandum also suggests revising current anti-sexual harassment guidelines and promoting gender awareness among UM students and staff.

She said the establishment of the committee would improve the efficiency of handling reports of sexual harassment, providing support to victims, and empowering students to be responsible for their campus’ safety.

“The current lack of awareness among students regarding these guidelines shows the need for clearer and more accessible information about reporting procedures and support services available to victims,” she said.

Accepting the memorandum was UM acting executive director Rozaini Rahim who said the memorandum will be sent to the Integrity Unit for further review and the next course of action.

https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2024/03/29/one-in-five-um-students-encounters-sexual-harassment-says-survey