Why are more men in Malaysia reporting being sexually harassed now?

AdvertisementMalaysiaThis Week in AsiaPeopleWhy are more men in Malaysia reporting being sexually harassed now?

More than 1,000 complaints involving male victims have been lodged since 2024, but campaigners say shame and fear still keep many men silent

3-MIN READ3-MIN Listen

Ushar DanielePublished: 4:57pm, 26 May 2026Malaysia has seen growing numbers of sexual harassment complaints involving male victims in recent years, reflecting what advocates describe as the slow erosion of the stigma that has long kept many men silent.

More than 1,000 complaints involving male victims have been lodged through the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry’s complaints mechanisms since 2024, Minister Nancy Shukri said, describing the figure as a sharp increase in reports.

The complaints involving male victims included unwanted physical contact and inappropriate touching without consent, Nancy added.

Advertisement

The trend comes against a broader rise in reported sexual harassment cases nationwide, with police statistics showing cases climbed from 477 in 2022 to 1,038 in 2025.

But campaigners cautioned that the figures showed who was coming forward, not the true scale of abuse, in a country where sexual harassment remains widely under-reported across gender lines.

01:00How SOLS Foundation solar initiatives help break the cycle of poverty in Malaysia

Malaysia passed its Anti-Sexual Harassment Act in 2022, creating the Anti-Sexual Harassment Tribunal, or TAGS, a dedicated body meant to give victims a faster and less costly route to seek redress without immediately going through a full court process.

AdvertisementSelect VoiceSelect Speed0.8x0.9x1.0x1.1x1.2x1.5x1.75x00:0000:001.00x