BAC2School Tackling Sexual Harassment at SMK Convent Klang

By Joash Pandita

On August 16th, 2024, the BAC Education Group, through its NGO arm UPLIFT.MY, organised an impactful talk on sexual harassment at SMK Convent Klang. The one-hour session, held at the school’s assembly ground “Dataran OMS,” was attended by 200 female students from Forms 3, 4, and 5.

Here is a short overview of what this session looked like:

  1. Basic Sexual Harassment Education: Students gained foundational knowledge of what constitutes sexual harassment.
  2. Proactive Approaches: The session equipped students with practical tools to be proactive upstanders and support themselves or others in challenging situations.
  3. Understanding the Forms of Harassment: The students learned to identify the various forms harassment can take and the consequences of each.
  4. Fostering Dialogue and Empathy: By encouraging discussion, the session promoted awareness and a deeper understanding of how empathy plays a role in combating harassment.
  5. Insight into Legal Context: The students were given a brief overview of sexual harassment in Malaysia’s legal landscape, highlighting current legislation and its impact.

Beginning with an opening speech, Mr. Kumar set the stage by introducing the topic and the speakers. Ms. Nurin followed by sharing recent examples of sexual harassment from the media, drawing on both societal issues and personal experience to highlight the severity of the issue in Malaysia. This allowed the students to better understand the real-world implications and prevalence of sexual harassment.

Mr. Hayden then took over to explore the various types of sexual harassment, including physical, verbal, and non-verbal forms. He emphasised that harassment isn’t limited to overt actions like physical abuse but can also include subtler forms of misconduct. The students were taught about upstanding, how to proactively intervene or take action when witnessing harassment, and were guided on how to support victims.

During the session, students were invited to analyse images depicting different harassment scenarios, share their interpretations, and suggest ways to respond to the situations presented. The active participation helped solidify their understanding of the topic and made the session more engaging.

The BAC2School talk on sexual harassment at SMK Convent Klang was a valuable educational experience, providing students with the knowledge and confidence to identify, prevent and speak out against harassment. It's initiatives like this that actively protect our youth and especially our female youths from sexual harassment encounters and crimes.

With active participation and a strong commitment to becoming proactive upstanders, the session left a lasting impression on the students, creating a safer and more supportive school environment.

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