BFM Says They Are Investigating Sexual Harassment Allegations Against Staff Members
Two of its male staff have been accused of indulging in predatory behaviour.
By Sadho Ram — 02 Dec 2018, 05:46 PM
In a statement released yesterday, 1 December, BFM 89.9 addressed an anonymous email that alleged sexual harassment by two male BFM staff members against fellow female employees
"At this juncture, we are unable to confirm any of the situations described," BFM 89.9 founder Malek Ali said in the statement on Saturday.
The business radio station said it is committed to providing a safe environment in which all members of the community can work without fear and threat of sexual harassment.
"We take all allegations of sexual harassment and misconduct seriously. Internal investigations are initiated whenever an allegation is made.
"Our practice has been to offer employees discretion and fairness, and we take action when we learn of unacceptable behaviour," Malek added in the statement.
Malek, however, said that BFM is taking an added precaution
He said that his organisation is reviewing its reporting mechanism to ensure continued access to safe channels for such matters to be reported and addressed immediately.
"And we continue to look for ways to improve our workplace to support and protect any member who comes forward with information or allegations about misconduct," the business radio station's founder added in his statement to media.
The anonymous email, from a person claiming to be a female employee at BFM, surfaced over the week, alleging cover-ups by the top management regarding sexual harassment at the station
In the anonymous email, the person claimed that during an after-work party at the office, "one woman was raped at the staircase while others were partying."
"The rapist was a Malay Muslim male, while the victim was an expat woman who was already engaged. The station didn't do anything to protect this woman and simply fired the man," alleged the person in her anonymous email, as seen by SAYS.
However, the person did not specify if the alleged crime was reported to the authorities.
The email claimed widespread sexual harassment at BFM, including the use of inappropriate language in conversations and texts
"For years, he has been Whatsapping women in the station and sexually harassing them. He has repeatedly texted me about my dressing, once saying that I looked "fuckable". He does this a lot to other women in the company," the person alleged in her email.
"He is protected because of his position and women like me and others cannot speak because we will be targetted and maybe lose our job. A lot of women in BFM knows about this but is afraid and cannot do anything about it," the anonymous email read.
The email named two persons in total, who has been accused of indulging in predatory behaviour at the business radio station. It also claimed that BFM's top management knows about the incidents and has had meetings but has failed to take any actions.
In the email, the person claimed that while she approached "woman NGOs here in KL", they did not believe her "because they are friends with these people in BFM".
SAYS reached out to BFM's Ezra Zaid with a set of questions
Ezra said that he cannot address them as "it pertains to the contents of the anonymous letter, which is a central part of our internal investigation that is currently underway."
To a separate question about whether the business radio station has lodged a police report over the anonymous email, Ezra had yet to reply at the time of publication.