KUALA LUMPUR – Decorated national swimmer Cindy Ong who recently spoke out about sexual harassment in the Malaysian sports arena has also highlighted the toxic culture of victim-blaming that is rampant in the nation.
During an Enlight Malaysia Facebook Live session titled Sexual Harassment Among Youth, Ong pointed out that when she first revealed her ordeal to the press, netizens slammed her for not speaking out earlier.
“When I first came out to talk about it, so many netizens slammed me, asking me why I brought it up now after 20 years, thinking I am just looking for attention.
“All this victim-shaming is going on in our country and it is pretty prevalent,” she said.
Ong added that she perceives the sexual harassment situation she experienced as “mild”. Even so, it was tough for her, just as it is with many victims, to talk about it with her family and friends.
It is clear such experiences may form a barrier for many other survivors of sexual harassment to speak out.
Nevertheless, she advised survivors to continue speaking out, saying that what she did shed light on her ordeal, and she felt empowered and liberated.
Ong had recently exposed the acts of harassment committed against her during her swimming days when she was younger.
The 37-year-old mother of three, who had experienced sexual assault and harassment when she was an athlete, alleged that a national coach had touched her breasts during one of her competitions abroad.
“It normally happens in sports when you compete overseas, but I believe it is worse in aquatics and gymnastics because of the dressing (sic),” she recently told The Vibes.
“Here, it is all about the mentality, not to mention that sexual harassment disrupts an athlete’s performance because it creates stress and causes depression.”
Meanwhile, Immaculata James, a youth research intern who also spoke during the webinar, explained that only a small number of sexual harassment survivors come forward, especially if they experience it in the workplace.
James said this may be attributed to the fact that there is sometimes a power imbalance between survivor and perpetrator.
Attempting to provide a solution, lawyer Adawiyah Sulaiman repeated the call for the sexual harassment bill to be tabled in Parliament.
In a statement today, the webinar’s organiser Enlight Malaysia said it will be providing pro bono legal and mental support to youth survivors.
“We (Enlight Malaysia) are also in the process of drafting a comprehensive guide in combating sexual harassment with various individuals, one of whom being Cindy Ong, to assist our youth nationwide,” the statement read. – The Vibes, June 12, 2021
