Victims of online sexual harassment can seek justice via tribunal, says Teo

2026-03-08 - 11:23

Deputy communications minister Teo Nie Ching said online perpetrators frequently hide behind fake profiles or anonymous accounts, making it difficult for victims to seek redress. (Bernama pic) KUALA LUMPUR: Individuals facing online sexual harassment can take their cases to the anti-sexual harassment tribunal to seek justice, says deputy communications minister Teo Nie Ching. She said under the law, victims who are subjected to nasty or abusive comments online have the right to file a suit at the tribunal for review. According to Teo, the tribunal, established in March 2024, is highly accessible as victims can represent themselves without the need for a lawyer and all cases brought before it must be resolved within 60 days. “If this harassment happens online, according to the law, we actually can go to the anti-sexual harassment tribunal and the judge will decide whether this constitutes sexual harassment. They will say whether an apology is needed, or sometimes the victim can actually get a monetary award,” she said. Teo, who is also DAP women’s chief, said this in her speech at the launch of the Selangor DAP women’s free legal advice programme in conjunction with International Women’s Day here today. Teo acknowledged a significant challenge in pursuing online harassment cases, that is in identifying anonymous perpetrators. She noted that, unlike physical harassment, where the abuser is often known, online perpetrators frequently hide behind fake profiles or anonymous accounts, making it difficult for victims to seek redress. “When someone says something very sexist to us online, how does a victim even begin legal proceedings when the abuser has no face, no name and no accountability,” she said. Teo also highlighted the escalating threat of artificial intelligence (AI) driven digital violence like deepfake pornography, which disproportionately targets women, stressing that technology platforms could not dismiss their responsibility and must be held accountable for the tools that facilitate such acts. “We must demand gender-inclusive AI governance, with women at every decision-making table. We also need to have this culture of accountability where companies cannot hide behind the excuse of ‘the algorithm did it’ and act as if they have zero responsibility at all,” she said.