With the aim to foster understanding, raise awareness, and promote a culture of respect and consent, a talk was jointly organised by the Department of Safety and Security (DSS) Kampar and Crime Prevention Society on 13 July 2023 at UTAR Kampar Campus.

With the insightful knowledge and expert perspectives provided by the speaker, Assistant Director Eugene Teh Soon Heng from the Women Empowerment Division of Department Women Development (Kementerian Pembangunan Wanita, Keluarga Dan Masyarakat, Putrajaya), the talk provided participants a platform to recognise, prevent, and respond to harassment. It also facilitated interactive dialogues, whereby participants were able to share their concerns and have their doubts answered.

The talk kick-started with the speaker highlighting the objectives of Act 840.  He explained that the Act aimed to increase public awareness on harassment, contribute towards making a safe and conducive environment, emphasise the government’s commitment to tackling this issue, and tackle under-reported issues. He then provided a definition to explain that offensive behaviour.

Speaking of the factors, Teh pointed out that it could be divided into two categories, namely external and internal factors. External factors included personality and attraction of the person, environment, normalisation, freedom of the internet, and wide exposure on social media platforms. Internal factors included personality disorder, past experience and mental illness.

Participants were also taught some preventive actions if they ever come across one. These safety actions included warning the offender, recording for evidence, reporting, stopping the offender, and sharing the incident with someone. Teh emphasised that this offensive conduct must be taken seriously.

Later, Thamarai explained further on the tribunal of Act 840, which enlightened participants on its function and punishments. She explained that under the tribunal, the offender can be held accountable by having to attend a suitable programme, write an apology statement, make a public apology, or even provide monetary compensation not exceeding RM250,000.

The talk then ended with an interactive Q&A session.