Sexual harassment needs to be seriously dealt with now: Faizal Azumu

KUALA LUMPUR – The Youth and Sports Ministry is aiming to table the Safe Sport Act in Dewan Rakyat next year.

Speaking exclusively with The Vibes, Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Faizal Azumu said that it is time that “we take the matter of sexual harassment seriously” and it “needs to start now”.

“My target is to table the Safe Sport Act before the 15th General Election while I still have the time,” said Faizal, referring to his current tenure as Youth and Sports Minister.

Although attempting to get an issue tabled in Parliament was going to be an uphill battle, Faizal said that his objective was clear − put an end to sexual harassment or at the least, reduce it to a bare minimum.

He spoke after presenting a mock cheque to Muay Thai athlete Nur Athirah Bidin, who had been chosen by the Malaysian Muaythai Federation to represent the country in this year’s International Federation of Muaythai Associations (IFMA) World Championships.

Athirah will be competing in the women’s 45kg category in Phuket, Thailand on December 3-12.

Also present during the proceedings was Sri Kota Specialist Medical Centre operations manager Emily Lim.

The Vibes had previously reported that Athirah had established a crowdfunding campaign to finance her participation in the IFMA tournament.

Upon seeing the article, Sri Kota decided to sponsor Athirah the full RM20,000 she had attempted to raise with her online campaign.

“As a caring corporate citizen, we believe that this sponsorship showcases our commitment to assist the Malaysian community,” said Emily.

“It provides us with the opportunity to recognise and honour Malaysian athletes who motivate and inspire others towards greater achievements.”

Faizal also spoke about how important it is to have gender equality in combat sports – such as mixed martial arts, Muay Thai and Brazilian Jiujitsu – in reference to Athirah being a female athlete in what many consider a male-dominated sport.

“I have never considered martial arts to be a male-dominated sport. Since the beginning, I have always believed that there should be gender equality in martial arts.

“Even my daughter is into Muay Thai. Of course, as a parent, I can’t help but worry about her (safety) because her sparring partners have all been men.

When it came to creating awareness about sexual harassment, Faizal did not mince his words as well.

“No matter where you are or who you are with, sexual predators will always try to find ways to take advantage of their victims,” stressed Faizal, adding that awareness should stem from both the government and the public.

He also said that children should be educated on ways to keep themselves safe from sexual predators and recognise the differences in the way they are being treated by adults.

“I know many parents are sending their children to a sports training centre and putting their complete trust in the coaching staff to take care of their children.

“The children must know the difference between somebody touching them inappropriately compared to the act of teaching them something in relation to sports. They must know when to take action and when to say ‘stop’,” he said.

“This is why we must implement the Safe Sport Act as soon as possible so that we will be able to provide holistic guidelines of what is appropriate and what is not, of what actions can be taken by an athlete when they are being victimised, and so on.” – The Vibes, December 3, 2021