A joint press release/statement by the Joint Action Group Against Violence Against Women (JAG-VAW):
All Women Action Society of Malaysia; Sisters in Islam; Women's Aid Organisation; Women's Centre for Change, Penang; Women's Development Collective.

The Joint Action Group Against Violence Against Women (JAG) is deeply concerned about the recent Jabatan Agama Islam Wilayah Persekutuan (JAWI) raid on a Kuala Lumpur nightclub and subsequent detention of approximately 100 Muslim youths, as reported in an English daily article on 23 January 2005 ("Crude, Rude and Abusive").

According to the said article, the women among those detained were allegedly verbally harassed and humiliated, then forced to parade in front of several male JAWI officials for an assessment of whether they were "decently" dressed. The officers also allegedly ogled at the women, made offensive remarks about their bodies and choice of attire, and took photographs of women who wore "sexy" clothing. It was also reported that those detained were kept in overcrowded cells without access to toilets.

JAG is utterly shocked with the unprofessional conduct of the male JAWI officials toward the detained women. It shows blatant discrimination and constitutes sexual harassment. Enforcement officials do not have the right to make offensive comments about a woman's body, attire, or sexuality, let alone verbally ogle and abuse a woman as a tool of intimidation or humiliation. The degrading and humiliating behaviour of these officials toward the detained women was a clear abuse of their authority.

Furthermore, JAG believes that the objectives pursued in this specific raid are not valid targets for JAWI or any other government authorities. Descriptions of the raid indicate that procedures were ad hoc and utterly unprofessional. One's choice of attire and where one spends leisure time are personal and family choices and, unless criminal activities are implicated, should not be the responsibility of any state authority. JAG believes that government authorities should not spend their time policing moral and personal choices, but should focus on actual criminal activity that is most harmful to society.

JAG calls on the relevant authorities to conduct a quick and thorough investigation of the raid. The authorities should then provide members of the public, including parents and families who were and who might be affected by such raids, with a clear-cut explanation as to the objectives of these raids, the procedures through which they are conducted, and the rights of those who are detained.

JAG urges the detained women and their parents and families to file police reports against the offending officers and to register complaints with the Attorney General's office and the Ministry for Women, Families, and Community Development. In addition, JAG calls for the passage of the Sexual Harassment Bill lobbied by JAG in 2001 so that sexual harassment such as that perpetrated against the women who were detained can be properly identified and punished.

JAG - VAW

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