UiTM Johor Lecturer Accused Of Sexually Harassing Student Sacked By Institution
The lecturer's termination will be effective immediately.
Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) has fired a lecturer who was accused of sexually harassing a former student on Saturday, 29 September
According to a statement by the institution provided to Bernama, UiTM takes the student's sexual harassment allegations against the lecturer seriously. The UiTM Integrity Unit launched a thorough investigation last year based on the evidence collected.
The investigation was conducted following the guidelines and legal process stipulated in the Statutory Bodies (Discipline and Surcharge) Act 2000 [Act 605].
According to the act, any member of staff found to have violated any rules, codes of conduct, or prohibitions will have disciplinary actions taken against them.
The decision was made after a detailed discussion by the disciplinary committee of UiTM
"After the interrogation and internal investigation procedures were completed and discussed by the Disciplinary Committee, UiTM has taken action to immediately terminate the service of the lecturer who was accused of sexually harassing the former student," UiTM's statement read.
UiTM vice-chancellor Prof Datuk Dr Roziah Mohd Janor also gave her statement regarding the decision. "If anyone disobeys an order or behaves in any way that can reasonably be interpreted as disobeying an order, the university will not compromise and will take stern action against them," she said.
Public sexual harassment allegations were made against the former lecturer on Twitter on 16 August by former UiTM student, Farah Azuin
Farah detailed her experience with the lecturer on Twitter and talked about how he allegedly tricked her into answering a survey with sexually inappropriate questions. She also alleged that the lecturer would call her during the late hours of the night and spoke about wanting to conduct sexual acts with her.
The former student alleged that there were more students who were sexually harassed by the lecturer and reached out to her to tell their story.
She reported her lecturer's alleged inappropriate acts to the police in 2021 but investigations were delayed for a year.
During the period of waiting for updates on the investigations, the lecturer came forth with legal action against Farah, cautioning her with a defamation lawsuit. She was ordered to issue a public apology to the lecturer, in addition to paying compensation to him.
Farah has responded to the news of the lecturer being dismissed from his position at UiTM Johor
Speaking with SAYS, Farah expressed her relief and contentment with the news of the lecturer's dismissal and said that it was worth the wait. "Even though UiTM took some time [to take action], I am happy with the result. Let this be a lesson to everyone," Farah said.
Farah believes this is a fresh start for sexual harassment victims. Since there there has been much attention to the case, she said that no one will be taking the topic of sexual harassment lightly anymore.
She also urged the public to refrain from blaming victims of sexual harassment and encouraged victims to not blame themselves for what happened to them. "We [are not] asking for it. We [are not] seeking attention. Most people don't know what sexual harassment is, particularly the victims [who] aren't aware they [were] violated. So please be kind. And to all who were or are harassment victims, I just want to say that you are really strong people. Don't ever blame yourself for it," Farah advised.
If you or someone you know may be at risk or has experienced sexual abuse or assault, please reach out to these Malaysian organisations:
1. WOMEN'S AID ORGANISATION (WAO)
Operating hours: 24-hour
Contact: +603-30008858
SMS/WhatsApp: +6018-9888058
Website | Facebook | Twitter
2. ALL WOMEN'S ACTION SOCIETY (AWAM)
Operating hours: Weekdays (9.30am - 4.30pm)
Contact: +603-78770224
WhatsApp: +6016-2284221 | +6016-2374221
Email: telenita@awam.org.my
Website | Facebook | Twitter
3. WOMEN'S CENTRE FOR CHANGE PENANG (WCC PENANG)
Operating hours: Weekdays (9am - 5pm)
Contact: +604-2280342 | +604-3988340
WhatsApp: +6011-31084001 | +6016-4390698
Email: wcc@wccpenang.org
Website | Facebook | Twitter
4. SARAWAK WOMEN FOR WOMEN SOCIETY (SWWS)
Operating hours: Monday to Friday (9am - 5.30pm)
Contact: +6082-422660
SMS/WhatsApp: +6013-8044285
Email: sarswws@gmail.com
Website | Facebook | Twitter
5. SABAH WOMEN'S ACTION-RESOURCE GROUP (SAWO)
Operating hours: Monday to Friday (9am - 2pm)
Contact: +6088-280200
Email: sawo.women@yahoo.com
Website | Facebook | Twitter
6. PROTECT AND SAVE THE CHILDREN (PS THE CHILDREN)
Operating hours: Monday to Friday (8.30am - 5.30pm)
Contact: +6016-2273065 | +6016-7213065
WhatsApp: +6016-7213065
Email: protect@psthechildren.org.my
Website | Facebook | Twitter
7. INTERNET WATCH FOUNDATION (IWF)
Anonymously and confidentially report child sexual abuse content and non-photographic child sexual abuse images with IWF’s Reporting Portal.
Read the full story on how this incident first started:
The lecturer responded to Farah's allegations with a letter of demand and cautioned her with a defamation lawsuit:
Read more of the latest #news on SAYS:
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