KUALA LUMPUR: In a harrowing ordeal, a 26-year-old Indian woman from Hyderabad has filed a police claim against her Malaysian employer, who she said raped and sexually abused her for more than a year. Women's rights advocates have praised the woman's “bravery” and called for more women to speak out on sexual violence in the workplace in order to bring an end to violence against women in Malaysia. “We need more strong women to speak out like she did because women in this country face violence on many levels,” said women's rights advocate Salima Aziz in Kuala Lumpur. She told Bikyamasr.com that she hopes the man “faces the maximum penalty and a long jail term for his crimes, which are unforgivable.” The woman, identified as only “S” from, came to Malaysia in 2010 on the invitation of a friend to work as a cashier at a sundry store in Ulu Tiram before she was employed at a pub in Permas Jaya. She said, in a police report seen by Bikyamsr.com, that her horrific experience began last year when her employer started making sexual advances towards her. She refused the attempts, but the employer pressed on. Then, the man began raping her on a daily basis, she said, adding that he would beat her if she refused to have sex with him. The woman added that she had to undergo two abortions during the period, which the employer paid for. Finally able to gather the strength, S left the pub and went to a church group in Tenaganita to seek assistance and file a police report against the man. But nothing happened, she said. The woman, who lodged complaints with the Indian High Commission and Labor Department, also claimed that she had lodged several police reports, but said her employer only received warnings. She also alleged that her employer, who she said is a gang member, also refused to pay her wages for several months. Tenaganita program officer Liva Sree Dharan said the organization had spoken to the employer, asking him to pay the wages he owed the woman. “She has lodged four police reports. We hope the police will help her and investigate the alleged abuses she had gone through,” she added. The rape and violence crime against the woman has left many rights advocates questioning the police action, or lack thereof, saying if the woman was Malaysian, the man would have been arrested and charged with a crime. “It is simply irresponsible that the police have not arrested the man and charged him with rape. It should have happened and it is disgusting that nothing yet has come of this woman's situation,” added Aziz. Violence against women in Malaysia has again become a top issue after women have repeatedly reported being attacked at car parks across the country. Police have told Bikyamasr.com that they are implementing new security measures to combat violent crime against women in the country, but with such reports like S's falling on seemingly deaf ears, many fear women in the country will continue to face assault and rape.
