KUALA LUMPUR, March 8 — Individuals facing online sexual harassment can take their cases to the Anti-Sexual Harassment Tribunal to seek justice, said Deputy Communications Minister Teo Nie Ching.
She said that under the law, victims who are subjected to nasty or abusive comments online have the right to file a suit at the tribunal for review.
According to Teo, the tribunal, established in March 2024, is highly accessible as victims can represent themselves without the need for a lawyer and all cases brought before it must be resolved within 60 days.
“If this harassment happens online, according to the law, we actually can go to the Anti-Sexual Harassment Tribunal and the judge will decide whether this constitutes sexual harassment. They will say whether an apology is needed, or sometimes we can actually get a monetary award,” she said.
Teo, who is also DAP Women Chief, said this in her speech at the launch of the Selangor DAP Women’s Free Legal Advice Programme in conjunction with International Women’s Day here today.
Teo acknowledged a significant challenge in pursuing online harassment cases, particularly in identifying anonymous perpetrators.
She noted that, unlike physical harassment, where the abuser is often known, online perpetrators frequently hide behind fake profile pictures or anonymous accounts, making it difficult for victims to seek redress.
“When someone says something very sexist to us online, how does a victim even begin legal proceedings when the abuser has no face, no name and no accountability?” she said.
Teo also highlighted the escalating threat of artificial intelligence (AI) driven digital violence like deepfake pornography, which disproportionately targets women, stressing that technology platforms could not dismiss their responsibility and must be held accountable for the tools that facilitate such acts.
“We must demand gender-inclusive AI governance, with women at every decision-making table. We also need to have this culture of accountability where companies cannot hide behind the excuse of ‘the algorithm did it’ and act as if they have zero responsibility at all,” she said.
Commenting on today’s programme, Teo said the main aim of the initiative was to ensure that the group concerned received initial advice or legal consultation in a professional, organised and easily accessible manner.
For a start, she said the service, which is open to women residing in Selangor and not represented by any lawyers, has brought together a panel of 10 lawyers. — Bernama
Malay Mail – Malaysia
