Sexual harassment by cops: Activists urge minister to enact reforms

Summary

• Activists and civil society groups want Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail to enact immediate reforms to tackle the problem of sexual harassment and abuse of power by police.

• It follows incident where a student activist claims a male plainclothes police officer tried to lure her into a toilet cubicle on the pretext of showing how to lock it.

Student activists and civil society organisations are urging Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail to enact immediate reforms to tackle the problem of sexual harassment and abuse of power by police.

This follows an incident in which a student activist claimed a male plainclothes police officer had tried to lure her into a toilet cubicle under the pretence of showing her how to lock it.

The activist - Alyaah Hani - was the spokesperson for the group of 47 organisations that submitted a memorandum demanding the reforms.

Among the demands was for the Independent Police Conduct Commission (IPCC) to revert to the Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC) model proposed in 2019.

“The IPCC in its current form doesn’t have enough power to take stern action against police misconduct,” Alyaah said while reading out the memorandum.

The memorandum also urged the Home Ministry to fast-track the implementation of body cameras for all police officers when interacting with the public, especially when carrying out arrests, detention, and questioning.

Not the first time

On Feb 6, Alyaah was questioned at the Wangsa Maju police district over a Palestinian solidarity gathering in December.

It was then that the alleged sexual harassment occurred.

In a police report the next day, Alyaah said that the male officer had accompanied her to the toilet despite there being female officers present.

This is not the first time police have been accused of sexual harassment.

In December, at a Palestine solidarity gathering a police officer was caught on camera making lewd gestures to a photographer.

There have also been numerous rape cases involving police officers.

One of Saifuddin’s aides accepted the memorandum outside the Parliament gates.

Lawmakers RSN Rayer, Young Syefura Othman, and Syerleena Abdul Rashid from Pakatan Harapan, Muda’s Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman and Perikatan Nasional’s Ahmad Fadhli Shaari, Mumtaz Md Nawi, Salamiah Mohd Nor, and Siti Mastura Muhammad also accepted the memorandum.

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