Unless you have first-hand experience, no one can truly understand the fear of knowing you’re being stalked. You fear what the stalker will do, when they’ll show up, and what will happen to you. Unfortunately, It’s a fear that this female photographer has had for over eight years.
Acacia Diana is a photographer who has been stalked and sexually harassed by a man named Syafiq Rosli since 2016. According to her, back in 2018, the stalker followed her to the United Kingdom, where she was based, and was arrested by UK authorities for stalking. He was then released and was awaiting a court date but fled the country before the day of the hearing.
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In one of her Instagram posts detailing the harassment, the photographer shared that the stalker started sending sexually charged messages and videos of him masturbating to her through direct messages. The stalker has also created multiple accounts in order to continue harassing her.
Acacia also shared that despite her efforts to reach out to the stalker’s family to stop the harassment, his family refused to cooperate and had even blocked her. Through Instagram Stories, the photographer also shared that she had considered suicide and self-harm due to the years-long harassment.
After sharing her story, many netizens commented in support of Acacia and helped to reach her case to the authorities. Some commenters included celebrities like Daiyan Trisha, Adriana Adnan, and Caprice. Her posts also caught the attention of Minister of Communications and Digital Fahmi Fadzil, who reached out asking for more information to investigate the case.
As of 31st May 2023, an anti-stalking law has been operational in Malaysia. Under this law, stalkers can face imprisonment for up to three years. We hope that with this, Acacia can finally be free from the suffering she’s endured for years.
Sources: Instagram (1)(2)(3)(4), Women’s Aid Organisation
Adleena contributed to this article.
