The Institute of Journalists Malaysia (IoJM) today urged all Malaysian media houses to come up with a strong conduct policy to protect their female journalists.

This in light of troubling revelations of them falling victim to sexual harassment and unsolicited sexual advances from politicians and elected representatives.

In a statement today, IoJM said such measures should be put in place so that action can be taken against the perpetrators of such acts.

"Given that journalists find themselves out of the office a lot, their respective companies must adopt strong complaint mechanisms to ensure that action is taken should they face any sexual harassment be it from politicians or public figures.

"Having such strong standards and policies will not only protect female journalists but would also be useful in stopping those that harass journalists in other ways, including through blackmail or bribery.

"As we look to developing a stronger media fraternity in Malaysia, politicians must be held accountable for their behaviour and attitudes towards journalists," added the statement.

The group also urged news editors and industry leaders to refrain from bowing to politicians and allowing the latter to get away with 'uncivilised' behaviour.

The reaction form the journalists body comes following a report in the Asian Correspondent two days ago that some female journalists in Malaysia had experienced sexual harassment from male politicians.

IoJM's stance differs vastly from that taken by the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) president Mohd Taufek Razak yesterday, who in response to the report urged female reporters not to dress sexily.

NUJ, however, has since 'amended' its statement to reflect a milder stance on the matter.

In its statement, IoJM also called for a 'strong reaction' from fellow journalists to protect their female colleagues to allow the harassers to be called out and taken to task.