KUALA LUMPUR, April 27 — Two parliamentarians have condemned Deputy Inspector General of Police Datuk Seri Acryl Sani Abdullah Sani for brushing off rape threats against a student as possibly a joke.
Petaling MP Maria Chin Abdullah said Acryl Sani’s remark not only trivialised the possible risk to teenager Ain Husniza Saiful Nizam, 17 who received a rape threat after calling out a male teacher for allegedly making jokes about rape, but also appeared to sanction violence against women.
“The act of rape, be it committed or verbalised, is never a joke as it is violent, humiliating, brings up motives of anger and it is about a show of power over a vulnerable victim.
“In the case of Ain, a threat had already been made by one of her classmates and this puts her life in imminent danger and cannot be trivialised.
“Deputy IGP’s appalling statement has thrown a spanner in the works for the decades of efforts made by the women’s movement and other authorities to have zero tolerance against violence against women,” she said in a statement today.
Chin pointed out that when top officials and ministers speak, their words carry weight and could undermine issues if they speak callously.
“They must refrain from making such disreputable statements,” she said.
Chin cited the World Health Organisation, which found that 27 per cent of girls and women aged 15 to 49 years reported that they have been subjected to some form of physical and/or sexual violence by their intimate partner.
“Time and again women’s rights are trivialised, violated and/or ignored.
“Just as in the case of schoolgirls having to show their sanitary pads, groped and violated to prove that they have their menstruation.
“Violence against women is human rights violation,” she said.
She also stressed that every institution, including the police, social workers, health personnel have an important role to play to provide comprehensive care and protection to girls, women, boys and men subjected to violence.
“As a high ranking police personnel, the deputy IGP had shown disrespect to Ain Husniza Saiful Nizam, a brave seventeen girl who spoke up against all odds.
“His statement cannot be with impunity as he has brought disrepute to his uniform and to all Malaysian citizens,” she said.
Chin then called for the deputy IGP to make an immediate public apology.
“The PDRM must give assurance that such police attitudes need to be rid of and a process to re-educate the police force against all forms of discrimination and violence will be conducted to bring back public respect for the men in blue.
“Investigations and actions must be carried out against the teacher who made the joke as well as the students who made the rape threat
Chin also reiterated calls to the Cabinet to take responsibility to enact the Gender Equality Act and put in place women’s rights education for all institutions.
Separately, Batu Kawan MP Kasthuri Patto also condemned Acryl’s remarks warning that it would in turn normalise rape culture.
Kasthuri, who is also DAP’s International Secretary for Wanita wing, said the deputy IGP belittling those such as Ain was why victims of sexual offences, including domestic violence hesitate to step forward to lodge a police report.
“The male student claimed: ‘If I get you, I will shred you or rape you and send you to Thailand.’
“Does the deputy IGP seriously think a threat as violent as this to ‘shred’ someone or to rape someone, is a joke and therefore be treated lightly?
“Don’t the words ‘I will shred you...’ mean there are elements of a violent threat?” Kasthuri asked in a statement.
She also asked the deputy IGP to put himself in Ain’s shoes, asking if he would have seen the funny side if the threat was hurled at a female police officer or a member of his family such as his mother, wife, daughter or granddaughter.
“What if such a comment, a rape joke as he mentioned, was made against the prime minister’s daughter, wife or other members of his family?
“What if it was on any member of the PM’s Cabinet? Will the deputy IGP say the same thing?” she said.
Instead of being an example to the police force in encouraging the public to step up and make reports of such incidents, Kasthuri said Acryl Sani has done the opposite.
She also expressed the possibility of the public losing trust in the police when the number two man in the Royal Malaysia Police has a mindset that reflects patriarchy, misogyny, victim shaming and victim blaming.
“Are boys and girls, men and women expected to accept this language as a ‘new norm’?
”Does he not know of the increase in numbers of sexual offences against children, rape and domestic violence that have spiked during the movement control order?
“Does he not know that statistically for every report made on domestic violence, four more goes unreported?” she said.
Raising more doubts, Kasthuri also asked if the deputy IGP could guarantee Ain’s safety after such a threat has been made towards her.
“The prime minister must address the public to set the record straight if Malaysia is a country that accepts and allows rape threats to be made on women,” she added.
