KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia – Female tourist guides in Malaysia have welcomed a government decision to ban them from sharing rooms with their male counterparts.
Ong Swee Ching, vice president of the Malaysian Women Tourist Guide Association, thanked Tourism Minister Ng Yen Yen for leading the effort to have the ban instated, reported The Star.
She said there has been a long history of female tourist guides being sexually harassed and assaulted by male roommates.
Ng said tour companies that refuse to abide by the ban, which takes effect June 1, would have their licenses revoked.
“In 2006, we tried the gentle way. We warned the companies, but nothing was done,” she said. “The action is to ensure the safety of the women, who make up more than one-third of the total number of tourist guides in Malaysia.”
WHAT TO TAKE AWAY FROM THIS ARTICLE:
- Ong Swee Ching, vice president of the Malaysian Women Tourist Guide Association, thanked Tourism Minister Ng Yen Yen for leading the effort to have the ban instated, reported The Star.
- “The action is to ensure the safety of the women, who make up more than one-third of the total number of tourist guides in Malaysia.
- Ng said tour companies that refuse to abide by the ban, which takes effect June 1, would have their licenses revoked.
