Last Updated on 2019-11-28 , 11:20 am
Singapore has become a scary place for sexual crimes.
With the numerous peeping tom incidents, I thought that at least, potential offenders would be warned of their wrongful actions and be aware of consequences.
However, things were far, far worse for an innocent sixteen-year-old girl.
Groped, Flashed, and Harrassed
The girl was walking along the Geylang Park Connector towards Dakota MRT station, minding her own business.
Muhammad Yusri Ramli, 30, was riding his bike in the opposite direction when he noticed her, and that she was wearing a white crop top that revealed her midsection.
After riding past her the first time, he turned and rode after her. He then stopped his bike in front of her, waiting for her to pass by.
He asked her for the time, thanked her then rode away in the opposite direction. Nothing seemed wrong to the victim yet.
Until he rode back the second time. This time he rode past her slowly and groped her, squeezing her left breast over her shirt.
He then got off the bike slightly ahead of the victim and proceeded to pull his pants down to flash his penis at the poor girl, and started walking towards her.
Instead of running away like most sexual crimes perpetrators, Yusri was unabashedly harassing the victim.
He asked her for her age, and if she lived nearby. He then proceeded to lay the blame on her. According to Deputy Public Prosecutor Derek Ee, “He then asked her why she liked to wear such clothing and the victim replied that it was not wrong for her to wear such clothing.”
The victim ran home crying, and he cycled away.
Apparently, Yusri believed he would be able to touch her more, as she did not scream when he groped her the first time.
Stop Victim Blaming
A common and frankly stupid refrain by sexual crime offenders is, “oh, but she is dressed so skimpily, so she must be okay with it”, and a key logic in Yusri’s mind as he approached the unfortunate victim.
It is not okay.
How a person chooses to dress is her own business, and it is not an invitation for offenders to commit obscene acts or sexual crimes, which compromise the victim’s autonomy and dignity.
Although this article is an aggravated example of the types of harassment women face every day, and that not all men are sexual predators, many smaller and unnoticed acts that make women feel uncomfortable are very common.
As a society, we should be vigilant and increase awareness of such happenings so that all of us can feel safer.
Here’s a simplified summary of the South Korea martial law that even a 5-year-old would understand:
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