SAYS EXCLUSIVE: 13 Women Share Experiences Of Being Harassed On The Streets Of Malaysia
If you've ever been sexually harassed in public on the streets of Malaysia, you're not alone. NOTE: Some names and identifying details have been changed to protect the privacy of individuals.
By Samantha Khor — 30 Oct 2014, 12:27 PM — Updated about 10 years ago
A video of a woman being catcalled and harassed while walking through the streets of New York City had gone viral recently, and that really had us wondering - is it the same for Malaysian women as well?
So, SAYS asked 13 women if they have ever encountered any form of street harassment from strangers, and the results are worrying. What's worse, street harassment is not only rampant at night, it happens in broad daylight too.
It is interesting to note that some of them can actually remember the approximate date and time the harassment happened, which further cements the fact that being catcalled in the streets is not at all flattering but traumatising and humiliating for these women.
1. Joanne, 22, received a rather crude proposal while walking down Upper Penang Road on 17 July 2009 around 11pm
2. 23-year-old Adeline recalled a disturbing incident perpetrated by a group of men while she was in Kota Kinabalu on afternoon in 2013
3. It wasn't even that late at night when Mei, 24, was mistaken for a "solicitor" at Petaling Street around 8pm sometime this year
4. Residential areas aren't really that safe after all, as Jean, 22 has been subjected to a lot of catcalls while jogging around the neighbourhood in Butterworth during the evening
5. Roxy, 24, was verbally and physically accosted by a complete stranger in a mall in Sabah back in 2013
6. Priya, 23, has received her fair share of propositions while walking around the Puchong area, but this one from 2012 really takes the cake
7. Stacy, who was 24 at the time, had quite a scare when she got into an elevator with a stranger in 2012. She was living in an apartment in Subang Jaya then.
8. Jesseca, 22, frequently walks to the train station in Subang and has been subjected to a number of obscene questions this year alone
9. 19-year-old Lana recalled an occasion when she was walking alone in the streets of Kuala Lumpur sometime this year
10. Asha, 22, was physically accosted when she was in Kepong one night (around 10.30pm) in October 2012
11. 22-year-old Michelle has also been verbally harassed in Taman Sri Muda, Shah Alam one afternoon in 2007 when she was only 15 years of age!
12. Quite recently, on 28 October 2014 to be exact, a group of strangers followed and hurled insults at Sabrina as she was walking to a mall in Bayan Baru, Penang
13. Earlier this year, 23-year-old Rachel was on vacation in Kuala Lumpur when she was verbally harassed near Berjaya Times Square
