Sexual Harassment Still Continues To Haunt Women

Resistance to cases of violence and sexual harassment against women. (Between/Hafidz Mubarak A/foc)

JAKARTA Lumina Entertainment, the promoter of the 'WayV on My Youth to Face Album Sign Event' event in Jakarta, is currently being discussed by the public. Unfortunately, the conversation about Lumina had a negative tone due to allegations of sexual harassment by one of the security officers.

Lumina Entertainment held a boy sign group from South Korea, WayV, in Jakarta, Monday (22/1/2024) which was attended by fans. In the signing show, each artist seems to have its own security officers who guard and regulate the continuity of the event. The fans at the event had the opportunity to interact with the artist at that moment, such as chatting and giving gifts in a predetermined time.

However, the event, which is packed with WayV fans, has been tarnished by allegations of sexual harassment by security officers. The allegation emerged after a video circulated showing a security officer touching the body parts of female fans while doing their job. The security officers were recorded touching the shoulders, arms, waist, and buttocks of fans as they interacted with WayV members.

adding my own experience, as a WOMAN & A MUSLIM WEARING HIJAB i feel it’s inappropriate for the MALE security to touch me especially on THAT part, in my religion, no one except my fam(brothers & dad) are allowed to touch me as we r not mahramwayv lumina#WayV_OnMyYouth_JAKARTA pic.twitter.com/wXZqekVEDf

— ·͜·♡ (@starinseas) January 24, 2024

adding my own experience, as a WOMAN & A MUSLIM WEARING HIJAB I feel it's inappropriate for the MALE security to touch me especially on THAT part, in my religion, no oneEPT my names (brothers & dad) are allowed to touch me as we r not mahramwayv lumina #WayV_OnMyYouth_JAKARTA pic.twitter.com/wXZqekVEDf

Worse yet, the alleged harassment did not only happen to one fan, but to many fans who attended the event.

Lumina's boycott hashtag was also busy on social media X, formerly Twitter, after various videos recording the actions of security officers were widely circulated. Lumina has issued an official statement following the alleged sexual harassment incident.

In his statement, Lumina apologized for the incident and is strongly committed to investigating the matter as a whole.

Sexual harassment can be defined as a behavior that demeans or insults a person based on the gender of that individual. Sexual harassment is an issue that has attracted the attention of many people in the past few years.

Sexual harassment can occur anywhere, anytime, and to anyone. According to data from the Ministry of Women's Empowerment and Child Protection (Kemen-PPPA), in the period January 1 to September 27, 2023, 19,593 cases of violence were recorded throughout Indonesia.

Of all these cases of violence, 17,347 victims were women and 3,987 male victims. Kemen-PPPA also found the type of violence most experienced by victims in the form of sexual violence, namely 8,585 cases, followed by physical violence 6,621 cases, and psychological violence 6,068 cases.

According to clinical and forensic psychologist Kasandra Putranto, sexual harassment is a serious problem that can occur in various levels of society.

Women, said Kasandra, are more often victims of sexual harassment because they have complex roots and involve social, cultural, psychological, and structural factors.

"Party culture is still very strong in many of our society, so cases of sexual harassment against women are more common," Kasandra told VOI.

In addition, Kasandra added, sexual harassment often occurs because it is considered an expression of the perpetrator's strength and control. According to Kasandra, an ineffective system of protection and law enforcement plays a role in the increasing number of cases of sexual harassment against women.

Victims of sexual harassment will experience psychological impacts such as deep trauma. In addition, victims also have the potential to experience stress that can interfere with their brain function and development.

"Some of the common psychological impacts include Posttraumatic Stress Disorders (PTSD), depression, anxiety and fear, low self-confidence and self-esteem, withdrawing from the environment, eating disorders, sleep disorders, and negative emotions that are difficult to control," Kasandra explained.

According to data, among women who have experienced sexual harassment, 90 percent of them show symptoms of acute stress. This trauma effect can increase the risk ofluminosity.

The most worrying thing is that the symptoms oflia that are not treated properly can lead to the victim's desire to commit suicide.

In addition to the large psychological impact experienced by victims of sexual harassment, a series of complications surrounding physical health also have the potential to be experienced by victims. Thus, considering sexual harassment only causes inner wounds is wrong.

Mental stress experienced by victims will trigger severe stress, causing various physical symptoms, including headaches, even chronic physical health problems, such as high blood pressure and blood sugar problems.

If left unchecked, this psychological stress can cause heart problems in the future. This occurs because the part of the brain that processes emotions, including stress, is right next to the brain stem, which is associated with reflex or automatic functions such as heart rate and breathing.

Therefore, the psychological and physical impact of someone who is sexually harassed must be handled properly, so as not to cause problems in the future.