Towards this end, the government is aware that sexual harassment impedes women's full participation in the workplace. The need to take pro-active steps to create a safe environment, particularly for the women workforce, is an integral part of the government s efforts to tap the full potential of women in contributing to the national economy. Ladies and gentlemen, The Malaysian government has been in the forefront for women's rights. In 1994, we became the first country in Asia to pass the Domestic Violence Act. By doing so, the government highlighted the fact that domestic violence is not a private matter, but a public social concern.
Sexual harassment is a violation of a person's dignity.
Like domestic violence, sexual harassment is wrong and unacceptable in our civil society. We need to arrest this problem as more and more women come out to work. Ladies and gentlemen, Employers should take reasonable care to prevent and promptly correct sexual harassment. Such reasonable care generally requires an employer to establish, disseminate, and enforce an anti-harassment policy and complaint procedure and to take other reasonable steps to prevent and correct harassment. Employers need to reassure those who file complaints of sexual harassment or provide information related to such complaints will be protected against retaliation.