Sexual Harrassment Awareness at the KL Bar - 20th November, 2012

 

Last year, AWL in collaboration with the KL Bar's Practitioners' Affairs Commitee and the Professional Development Committee, organised a free workshop to create Sexual Harassment Awareness amongst members of the Kuala Lumpur Bar.

 

Is this sexual harassment?

Meera leading the session with "Feminist's Perspective of Law".

The interactive workshop took place at the KL Bar Auditorium and attracted approximately 80 participants.













Participants were divided into groups to identify whether certain
acts constituted sexual harassment or not.

Conduct classified as inappropriate.

Appropriate statements.

Many participants found the session useful and feedback received was very positive.

 

The Kuala Lumpur Bar is grateful for the time taken by our two speakers for imparting their knowledge and experience in our fight to eradicate sexual harrassment in the workplace.

 

Left to right: Goh Siu Lin, Meera Samanther (President of AWL), Betty Yeoh (Programmes Manager, AWAM)

The Speakers:
Our President, Meera Samanther
an Advocate & Solicitor at Messrs Kang & Kang. She was called to the Bar in 1985 and was a full time commercial litigator for 10 years in Messrs Shearn Delamore & Co. Meera thereafter became active as an activist at the Women’s Aid Organisation and was elected President in 2000 till 2011. She has actively participated and conducted pro-bono cases for the Women’s Aid Organisation( WAO) ; Women’s groups (Joint Action Group on Gender Equality-JAG-GE); Watching Brief Cases for the Infringement of Constitutional Rights, Migrant Domestic Cases and Rape. Being an advocate for women and migrant rights, she has travelled internationally representing Malaysiaand WAO at various conferences and conventions. Meera currently trains lawyers on the Feminist Perspective of Law, advocates for changes in the laws relating to Women's Rights and was part of the Article 11 speakers on Freedom of Religion.


Betty Yeoh is the Programmes Manager for the All Women’s Action Society (AWAM). Prior to joining AWAM as a full time staff in 2004, she was employed in the corporate sector and spent many years in various capacities of human resources, including Human Resources Manager. She has an accumulated experience in human resource management, occupational, safety and health training as well as employees’ welfare and industrial relations. She is an active founding member of AWAM since 1985. She assisted in the setting up of the Telenita Helpline and its para-counselling services. As a trainer/facilitator for AWAM, her key focus in training is on sexual harassment free workplace for corporate sectors; building capacity of policy makers through programmes on violence against women and gender sensitisation; and introducing basic helping skills which will assist the development of better support services and empowerment for survivors. Betty holds a Diploma in Industrial Relations and is pursuing her Bachelor of Applied Social Science (Counselling)

Moderator: Goh Siu Lin Chairperson, KL Bar Practitioners’ Affairs Committee