Men who harass women are insecure and unable to control their emotions.
They are also unable to handle attractive and intelligent women who demand respect.
This has led to some of them shooting nude photographs or videos of women and threatening to post them online or sending them via SMSes.
“Some harassers seem to think that it’s a compliment when they show you attention, which isn’t always so, as their actions and comments carry sexual connotations,” said Persatuan Kesedaran Komuniti Selangor (Empower) executive director Maria Chin Abdullah.
“Some harassers feel they are more in control when they put women in a vulnerable position. This are men’s own insecurities.”
She added that lack of enforcement and sex education also contributed to the problem.
Maria, who spoke at a workshop titled “Connecting ICT with Violence Against Women” yesterday, also said modern day tools such as handphones, social networking websites, blogs, e-mails and Web cameras played a role in violence, harassment and human trafficking, especially against women, regardless of race and nationality.
Based on an Empower survey between April and May, in which 42 out of the 54 respondents were females, Maria said the most vulnerable victims were aged from 15 to 30.
Meanwhile in Johor Baru, Malaysian Women Development Department director-general Wan Hasmah Wan Mohd said more men should attend women’s rights courses and seminars to gain insight on how to treat women with respect.
Wan Hasmah said more awareness campaigns championing women’s rights were needed to curb violence against women and spouse abuse, adding that parents should teach their children from an early age to respect their peers of different gender.
