Sexual harrassment amongst undergraduate students at a public university in the east coast of peninsular Malaysia, Malaysia

• Main Author: Shariffah Nuridah Aishah, Syed Nong Mohamad
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: 2013
• Subjects: H Social Sciences (General)
• Online Access: http://eprints.unisza.edu.my/2666/1/FH02-FUHA-18-16311.pdf; http://eprints.unisza.edu.my/2666/
• Institution: Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin

This paper is written based on a research conducted under the funding of the University’s Grant. The existence of informal complaints and reports from the undergraduate students on the incidents of sexual harassment throughout their study in campus and the absence of specific rules or policy has triggered this research to investigate the issues of sexual harassment at the university. This research is aimed at assessing the understanding of students on the meaning of sexual harassment and their perceptions, investigating the existence of sexual harassment cases at the university and identifying the needs for a policy to handle sexual harassment in campus. Questionnaires were distributed to 354 respondents representing undergraduate students from all 9 faculties. The finding of the research shows that the university students are exposed to sexual harassment whereby 14.2 percent had the experience of being sexually harassed in campus and that the perpetrator should be penalised. The research suggests the university to provide for a specific policy to deal with the matter efficiently and effectively.