Zhi Hao, Author at Goody Feed

It's one thing to send work-related videos to your subordinate. It's quite another to send pornographic films to your subordinate. Because while one is still relatively tolerable, the other is not. And for the record, it's an offence to do so. 68YO General Manager Fined S$5,500 for Sending Obscene Videos to Female Subordinate Through WhatsApp According to TODAYonline, a 68-year-old general manager of a contact lens company has been penalised for inappropriate behaviour. His offence? Sending obscene films to his female subordinate. He was ultimately fined S$5,500 on Tuesday (30 Mar), after pleading guilty to two counts of "transmitting an obscene video via electronic means". What Happened According to the news report, the subordinate, who has since left the company, had informed the man on 7 June 2018 that she was not going to work that day. Instead of an acknowledgement, the man sent her a video clip that spans almost seven minutes an hour later. In the video, a naked man and woman can be seen proliferating in front of a live audience. All in all, not something you would usually show to someone who could be your granddaughter in another life. Uncomfortable, the victim did not reply. But this only seemed to have emboldened the man. Just three days later, the man repeated his act with another questionable three-minute-long video. This time, the content appears to have stemmed from a Japanese game show. For the record, Japanese game shows could get a little more frisky than, say, routine variety shows. Suffice to say: the victim did not reply again. Other Charges And yet, it appears that the man did not just send videos of a particular nature. He also proceeded to carry out physical acts of sexual harrassment. According to TODAYonline, he also faced five charges of molestation, including stroking her thigh and hugging her. As the offences have been compounded, however, the charges were ultimately withdrawn. What this means is that the victim had received some form of compensation for the illicit behaviour, such as financial compensation, an apology, or both. Sentencing In court, Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Sarah Siaw pushed for a fine of S$6,000, taking into account the distinct age difference at play here. The man's lawyer, however, requested for a lower fine of S$4,000, as it was the perpetrator's first offence. Due to his age, chances of re-offending were also deemed to be low. In addition, his lawyer, Ms Audrey Koo from Populus Law Corporation, stated that he had participated in community campaigns, and expressed genuine remorse for the offences. “People have pointed out that for 36 years, he has been seen as a caring mentor and understanding manager and trustworthy friend. He provides guidance to staff and earns praise from employees. This was a lapse of judgement,” Ms Koo added. District Judge Tan, however, was not fully convinced. “ is some 10 years younger than your youngest child and it was indeed a serious lapse of judgement for you to have acted in this way towards her.” He was subsequently fined a sum of S$5,500. For each charge, he could have faced a fine, an imprisonment term of up to three months, or both. Sexual Harassment At Workplaces Unfortunately, such instances are far from being rare on local shores. In fact, the cases have only seen a rising trend. According to the Association of Women for Action and Research (AWARE), the number of unwanted and explicit sexual messages and calls has quadrupled between 2016 and 2019. They added that technology has allowed for harassment without the need for perpetrators to be present. It was also brought up that for work-related cases, the cases have all but tripled in the four-year period. AWARE’s head of advocacy and research, Ms Shailey Hingorani, say that victims sometimes do not report the abuse. They’re either afraid that no one would believe them, or fear retaliation. Some may not even know who or where to report such incidents to. She has since recommended the introduction of workplace sexual harassment legislation. This would place legal obligations on employers to stop such harassment and to properly investigate each reported case. Should you or anyone you know be facing such incidents, please seek assistance as soon as you can. You can contact AWARE's Sexual Assault Care Centre (SACC) at 6779 0282 or email them at sacc@aware.org.sg. You can also call the police at 999, SMS them at 71999, or make a report for an investigation over here. Feature Image: Eliseu Geisler / Shutterstock.com