A young woman has taken to social media to plead for help in her situation after allegedly enduring years of “sexual harassment” by her neighbors and their friends.
Pek Yi Tsing went on Facebook and Reddit to explain the years of alleged intimidation and provocation carried out on her family — all of whom have been living in a rented two-room flat in Marine Parade. According to the 22-year-old, her whole family has been tormented by a group of teenage boys, whose apparently rowdy antics and bullying tactics have made life difficult for three years.
To make a long story short, here is a quick breakdown:
- She claims that her family has been continually badgered by a group of young kids and teenage boys who’ve been hanging around along the common corridor and making a ruckus among themselves till the wee hours of the morning. It all started since 2015, she says.
- There could be up to 10 young men in the group, and they would hang around the lift lobby.
- According to Pek, the boys would catcall her, make derogatory comments, smirk, stare, and generally make her feel uncomfortable every time she walks past them. Her female friends weren’t spared the harassment. “They dared each other to look under my skirt, speaking in Malay, thinking that we do not understand the language.”
- Her younger brother was once afraid of taking the lift because the boys threw their football at him. Her mother — who works at a hawker stall — gets her rest disturbed by the din caused by their neighbors.
- Attempts to threaten them with law enforcement initially caused things to quiet down, but the boys were back at it with the harassment after a while, Pek says.
- Both the Town Council and the police were informed, but according to Pek, it didn’t do anything much. “They emphasized that I should lie low while they liaised with the town council and police station. Well, it’s been one year since, and the situation has not changed. Not even one bit.”
- Her estate’s Member of Parliament simply suggested that she pursue legal options instead.
“I have reached a dead end. I am done. I do not have the intention of intimidating anyone but I have had enough of being ignored. I am sick of being objectified, I am exhausted, I feel vulnerable in my home — my supposed safe haven. I just want to feel safe in my neighborhood. I want to be happy about returning home to my family. Just once. I sincerely hope it is not too much to ask for.”
Needless to say, the post went viral and has also attracted the attention of people related to the accused bullies. Here's what they had to say...
Post-viral
Since she went public with the matter, there have been some developments, according to a new post she made on Reddit.
- The mother of one of the teenage boys involved was said to have reached out to Pek and promised to handle the matter.
- The boys’ verbal abuse allegedly became even more intense.
- She spoke to three Chinese-language newspapers about the issue. Lianhe Wanbaomanaged to speak to the neighbors, who denied ever harassing her and claiming that their gatherings never go beyond 10pm.