It’s heartbreaking to see that despite living in the modern era, people, especially women, are still not spared from becoming targets of sexual harassment by perpetrators. Just like this young woman from Selangor.
Recently, a Malaysian girl shared her harrowing experience when she was sexually harassed by a man at a bus stop in Kapar, Selangor. Speaking to mStar, the lady, known as Reen, revealed that the incident took place earlier on 6th March, at about 5:30pm.
“I was harassed while waiting for my sister to pick me up from work. Usually, she’ll arrive around 6. So, I’ll usually wait for about half an hour,” she said. “I was waiting in front of the bus stop, when I saw this guy behaving strangely. Five minutes after I stood up, he got up and stood next to me. I let him be because I thought his bus was arriving too.”
Reen then added that at the time, it was raining, so she had to take shelter under the roof of the bus stop. She then sat at the far end of the seat, and scrolled her phone with her earphones on. She explained, “I’m the type of person who does their own thing when in public. Suddenly, I heard someone talking to me, so I turned around. The man was asking me something, so I turned down the volume of my phone. I didn’t notice, apparently he was closely approaching me.”
“At first, he was asking for direction. After I responded, he began asking more questions. He even asked about personal matters like, ‘Are you married? How old are you? Where do you live?’,” Reen detailed, before adding, “I lied to him, saying that my name is Farah. I was shocked when he told me that he knows my workplace, even though I didn’t tell him where I was working.”
She further added, “I started to get scared when he threatened me, saying that he’ll find me at my office if I reject him, but I pretended not to hear him. I proceeded with recording the video because I was afraid if something bad would happen to me. Worse, he even forced me to say ‘I love you’ to him.”
During the chat with the local portal, Reen also revealed that the culprit even attempted to lay his hands on her. She then said, “Not long after that, a much younger man arrived at the scene. He asked if I was okay or not. The harasser became furious and cursed at the person who tried to help me. The person only advised me to take care of myself before walking away.”
“After that, the man’s bus arrived and he boarded the bus. Thank God, he didn’t do anything to me, apart from trying to hold me (as seen in the video I recorded). He might have poked the sweater I was wearing, but I didn’t feel anything. I was so terrified, because this was the first time I encountered such an incident. I’m considered lucky because that was the last time I saw that man. Following that, my sister now sends and picks me up at my workplace,” Reen was quoted as saying.
Reen later clarified that she recorded the video detailing her horrific experience in an effort to raise awareness and hopes to prevent other girls from falling victim. She also advised women to carry personal protective equipment such as pepper spray when going out.
The lady also suggests women to avoid being too friendly with strangers (especially if you’re getting bad vibes), as it can lead to others taking advantage of you.
