KUCHING: The Anti-Sexual Harassment Tribunal will be operational at the end of this year as soon as its 20 members are appointed with the help of the Attorney General’s Chambers (AGC), said Minister of Women, Family and Community Development Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri.
“I have asked the AGC for one representative each from Sarawak and Sabah to be appointed, representing the legal fraternity to ease the management of cases elated to the two states.
“The tribunal will be based in Kuala Lumpur and I hope that this could be settled by the end of December,” she told reporters after the Sarawak Media Night event here last night (Nov 12).
The tribunal is a critical part of the Anti-Sexual Harassment Act 2022 (Act 840), which was passed by Parliament in August and gazetted in October last year.
It will look into sexual harassment complaints, and provide a mechanism for anyone who has been sexually harassed to seek redress.
The tribunal which will improve the legal system and the handling of sexual harassment complaints quickly, easily and at minimal cost, will also be responsible for determining the way the cases are to be handled under the act.
It will hear cases and determine the process and procedure of a case and has the power under the law to pass judgments.
Meanwhile, according to Bukit Aman statistics, the number of sexual harassment cases, involving both genders, reported increased to 506 cases in 2021 from 378 cases in 2020.
Last year in Sarawak alone, there were 16 cases of which 15 or 94 per cent involved sexual harassment against women.
Over 100 media practitioners were present at the media night.
