Sexual harassment is a serious issue, and we should always listen to the victim’s story. However, there have been many cases of people falsifying harassment stories, leaving some to be sceptical of their “experience”.
Recently, a couple from Spain revealed a terrifying experience while travelling in India. The couple, influencers Vincente and Fernanda, are known to their audience as Vuelta Al Mundo En Moto (Around The World By Motorbike). The couple was in India as part of their global tour when they were attacked and robbed by a group of local men. The couple also allege that the men raped Fernanda repeatedly. The issue quickly went viral and is currently under investigation by Indian authorities.
Vincente and Fernanda’s case brought up several arguments about women’s safety in India, which also led to the discussion about women’s safety in other Asian countries. However, one comment from a former journalist went viral amongst Malaysians as she alleges a shocking experience when she lived in Kuala Lumpur. While speaking to another Twitter user, former journalist Christine Hill claimed that she once had to whack 50 Malay men while walking from Central Market to Shangri-La Kuala Lumpur because they all had tried to grope her breasts.
Christine also allegedly spoke about the issue with some senior political leaders but claimed they laughed her off. While we should always take sexual harassment claims seriously, Christine’s claims were rather outrageous, leaving many Malaysians sceptical about the truth. Twitter user @/mokciknab shared that the route from Central Market to the Shangri-La Kuala Lumpur is a 29-minute walk. She sarcastically remarked, “You’re more likely to be run over by motorcyclists or get heat stroke if you try to walk from Central Market to Shangri-la, but hey bring an umbrella just in case you meet 50 Malay men along the way.”
Another user, @/xgpingx, also called Christine’s claims “bullshit”. He explained that, based on Christine’s claim, she would’ve been groped once every 30 seconds during her walk from Central Market (Pasar Seni) to the hotel. He added that most Malaysians wouldn’t even attempt to walk half an hour under the hot sun. Many other Malaysians also shared their experience of walking alone in the city, saying that they have never been harassed nor seen a foreign woman being harassed so often within a short time frame.
Unfortunately, there are no ways to validate Christine’s claims but netizens also said she could’ve been cat-called rather than physically touched. However, others believed she made up the entire story to give a bad name to Malaysians – but what do you think about Christine’s story?
