Sexual harassment and sexual assault are real things that many experience, even when walking down the street. This may extend from catcalling to groping.
And while Malaysians do take sexual harassment and assault cases seriously, one foreign woman’s experience in Kuala Lumpur is being scrutinised with immense disbelief.
Taking to a Twitter thread about a Vlogger’s unfortunate gang rape incident in India, American journalist Christine Hill shared her own experience of how at least 50 men had allegedly tried to grope her in a 30-minute walk from Central Market to Shangri-La in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
This image is for illustration purposes only.
She wrote, “India is not the only place like this. A white woman walking through Kuala Lumpur can expect to have her breasts groped about every 2 minutes.”
When someone tried to defend Kuala Lumpur by saying that it’s a safe city, she doubled down on her claim.
This image is for illustration purposes only.
“Sorry, no. I lived there (in KL) on and off for 8 years and was harassed constantly as were all the other white women I knew. I finally moved to Singapore because I had started bringing a big umbrella with me and whacking any who grabbed my boobs.”
“Walking from Central Market to Shangri-La one day – traffic was terrible – I whacked about 50 men, all Malay, all tried to grab my breasts. That’s when I realised I had to move. I brought (this) up to the most senior political leaders, saying it was bad PR for the city. They had a name for it and laughed. It’s not rape but it is sexual assault. A decent country would prosecute this,” she added.
Considering the walk from Central Market to Shangri-La is an estimated at 30 minutes, and that she claims to have ‘whacked’ at least 50 alleged sexual assaulters, it would mean that people had tried to grope her every 0.6 minutes.
Many found her experience to be severely unrealistic and called her out for it.
When people shared their disbelief over her claims, Christine went on to ask them what race they are and emphasised that this apparently only happens to “white women” in Kuala Lumpur.
Sexual harassment and assault cases and claims should be taken seriously and hence, the authorities need to investigate this matter, and double down on enforcement in the areas that she has mentioned while also arresting perpetrators. Though, if she is found to be lying, action should be taken against her as well.
What do you think about this? Do feel free to share your thoughts in the comment section.
Also read: Tourist Tearfully Explains How She Was Kicked Off a Bus from Penang to KL Due to Overbooking
