KUALA LUMPUR: The Joint Action Group for Gender Equality (JAG) is urging the government to table the sexual harassment bill in the ongoing parliamentary sitting.
The country's coalition of 14 women's rights movements said the tabling of the bill would be pertinent following a recent survey by Women's Aid Organisation (WAO) and Vase.ai on 1,010 women.
The survey found 62 per cent of women had experienced one or more forms of sexual harassment in their workplace.
"From this figure alone, 39 per cent have experienced sexual jokes or innuendos, 24 per cent have experienced unwelcome touching or grabbing, 22 per cent experienced sexual gestures, body movement or looks, 18 per cent experienced stalking behaviour and the remaining 16 per cent experienced verbal sexual abuse.
"However, on whether they had encountered sexual harassment before, only 21 per cent out of 62 per cent answered affirmatively," read the statement.
The statement said women often identify inappropriate advances in the workplace as "unprofessional behaviour" instead of sexual harassment.
"Fifty-two per cent of women felt the act of suggesting a co-worker make advances towards a client or potential client is unprofessional behaviour when
instead, it is a form of sexual harassment.
"Forty-two per cent of women do not consider stalking as a sexual harassment, 50 per cent of women consider making repeated advances towards a person who had declined their request as an 'unprofessional behaviour' instead.
"Thirty-three per cent of women do not consider sexual jokes or innuendos to be a form of sexual harassment.
"Eleven per cent found it to be an 'unprofessional behaviour' when someone sends or composes sexual emails, bulletins or photos to them.
"Meanwhile, 15 per cent or 152 women does not consider touching or grabbing to be a form of sexual harassment but instead classify it as unprofessional behaviour.
"These statistics suggest a discrepancy between women's experience of sexual harassment and their perception of what constitutes sexual harassment."
JAG said the numbers alone should warrant a tabling of the bill which would go beyond defining sexual harassment as well as providing redress mechanisms.
"It will also enhance awareness of the worrying issue and send a clear message to society that such advances are wrong.
"This (Sexual Harassment) Act (if the bill is approved )will not only raise awareness among sexual harassment survivors but also among perpetrators who may have normalised harassing behaviours.
"The government should take a look at these statistics that underscore the real-life experiences of many Malaysian women and act swiftly by tabling the sexual harassment bill during this parliament sitting."
JAG is formed by among others, Association of Women Lawyers, Sisters in Islam, WAO and All Women's Action Society.