Sexually-assaulted student sues UiTM for negligence.
SHAH ALAM: A university student who was sexually assaulted at her hostel six months ago is suing Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) for negligence.The 21-year-old woman, a second-year Hotel and Tourism Management student, filed the suit at the Shah Alam Sessions Court here on Tuesday.
In the suit, she said the university had failed to prevent unauthorised parties from intruding into the hostel.
She claimed that the incident was due to the defendant’s negligence for failing to take necessary measures for the safety and security of the students.
She also said she was not only hurt physically but also emotionally, and has been suffering from acute stress reaction and post-trauma stress disorder. Her studies have been badly affected and she is currently on leave and undergoing psychiatric treatment.
In the statement of claim, she is seeking aggravated, exemplary, general and special damages.
Her counsel Mohamed Hanipa Maidin said the incident took place on Nov 28 last year at about 5am, when the student was bathing in the common bathroom on the second level of the hostel.
He said a naked man knocked on the door and forced his way into the bathroom.
The victim screamed but nobody came to her aid because the other students were asleep and there were no security guards around, he told reporters at a press conference held by Shah Alam Member of Parliament Khalid Abdul Samad here Wednesday.
The intruder forced her down and inserted a finger into her private parts before she finally managed to make her escape, he said.
The victim did not appear during the press conference.
Mohamed Hanipa said he would serve the suit to UiTM after receiving the sealed documents from the court, adding that he expected to get this within a month.
Khalid said the victim’s mother approached him on Dec 26 last to ask his help. He said they wrote a letter to UiTM on Jan 28 on behalf of the girl to get an explanation, but did not receive any reply.
“Filing the suit was the family’s last option after waiting for an answer for so many months,” he said, adding that police had yet to arrest anyone over the incident.
When contacted, UiTM vice-chancellor Datuk Seri Prof Dr Ibrahim Abu Shah said the matter was being handled by the university’s student affairs department.
--- saya tidak mendengar sebarang kes cabul di kolej sebelum ini. Terkejut kerana melihat berita ini telah terpampang di akhbar. Tidak dapat dipastikan kejadian berlaku di kolej mana.. namun pihak keselamatan perlu bertindak untuk menjaga keselamatan pelajar terutama siswi siswi.
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