E-hailing drivers and delivery riders play a crucial role in our daily lives, navigating through traffic and weather extremes to deliver services efficiently.
Yet, beyond these challenges, they often encounter another distressing issue: sexual harassment.
‘He tried to offer me more money if I allowed him to shave my beard’
Y. Subhan, 24, and Badrul Ali, 26, share their experiences, shedding light on the uncomfortable reality many in their profession face.
Subhan recounts frequent incidents of sexual harassment during his work hours. One such unsettling encounter involved a customer who offered him a RM50 tip and suggested he visit his home after work, even attempting to negotiate to shave Subhan’s beard for additional payment, reported NST.
“He tried to offer me with more money if I allowed him to shave my beard.”
Subhan tactfully defused the situation, citing his girlfriend’s preference for his appearance.
“I smiled politely and told him that my girlfriend liked me because I was hairy.”
Just smile and ignore
Badrul Ali also faced similar challenges, with some male customers making suggestive comments and inappropriate physical advances. His response strategy, he explains, involves maintaining professionalism to avoid escalation, even though it requires enduring discomfort.
“It’s either you react to their advances or just smile and ignore them respectfully,” he said
Despite these troubling experiences, neither Subhan nor Badrul have filed formal complaints with their service platform operators or law enforcement. Their reluctance stems from concerns over potential confrontations impacting their customer ratings, a critical metric in their line of work.
Not all drivers remain silent
However, not all incidents go unreported. On April 3, an e-hailing driver filed a police report against a customer who allegedly offered to perform oral sex on him. The customer was arrested under Section 377D of the Penal Code for gross indecency and charged in court.
Jose Rizal, chief activist of the Malaysian eHailing Alliances, emphasises the importance of speaking out against harassment.
He encourages victims to report incidents promptly to both the authorities and platform operators, advocating for greater awareness and support mechanisms within the industry.
“Recently, we received reports involving an e-hailing driver and a delivery rider who were harassed.
“Our advice to those who have been harassed is to lodge a police report and inform the platform operator.”
