by Nurdina Haziyah
SHAH ALAM, 18 July 2023: “I lived in fear, in a system and society that have thus far failed me and so many others.” - Acacia.
On July 13, 2023, the Twitter community was shocked by a post from a female Malaysian photographer, Acacia Diana, who revealed she had been stalked by a guy for eight years.
The stalking began in 2016, when a guy who goes by the username “sopert” left a comment under her blog post on “Advenshatime” stating he loved her write-up for the travel tips. Later on, he asked for a collaboration through comments and sent an email, but Acacia politely declined it.
Unfortunately, a year later, she received a few emails from different accounts that created a pattern of him wanting to express his love for her. Acacia could not take any action yet, except to ignore him and warn him to stop stalking her.
In 2017, Acacia returned to the United Kingdom (UK) for her studies. While thinking she was safe there, she received a call from her father in Malaysia that a guy named Safiq Rosli had gone to her house and met her family. Due to this, the photographer lodged a police report as soon as she returned to Malaysia in 2018, but the result was disappointing, as the police claimed they could not do anything unless the stalker threatened her physically.
This was upsetting news, as she had been facing this for three years while she was pursuing her studies. Even after she graduated, the stalker kept harassing her sexually through Instagram by creating more than 30 accounts to send a direct message every time she blocked him. When she thought things could not get any worse, Safiq made a move to physically stalk her at her first photography exhibition.
Desperate for a new life, she used her life savings and moved to the UK but it became uncontrollable when Safiq flew there too. Acacia again asked for help in January 2023, until it reached a former photography teacher in the UK. She was informed that Safiq had signed up for the class where she studied before, which further proved he had been digging up every little piece of information about Acacia’s life.
Early this year, he was arrested in the UK, and as per UK procedure, they bailed him with the condition that he could not contact her or be near her. They both needed to attend court on a set date to charge him with sexual harassment and stalking, however Safiq had breached the bail by returning to Malaysia before the date.
Meanwhile, the netizens who read her posts suspected that Safiq came from a rich and influential family, as he seemed to freely follow her to the UK as he wished. On top of that, his family members no longer contact the victim to offer help. Acacia had to deal with the stalking for eight years alone.
As soon as she posted the situation on both Twitter and Instagram, a lot of people suggested that she should stop posting her activities on social media. However, Acacia is known as a public figure and is influential; not promoting her events and collaborations would affect her source of income and work.
On the other hand, it is fortunate that Malaysia has now passed a bill making the act of stalking a crime. On March 29, 2023, the Dewan Rakyat included a new Section 507A under the Penal Code (Act 574) to make stalking online and physically a crime.
“Any individual found guilty faces a maximum jail sentence up to three years, a fine, or both.” -The Star
On July 17, 2023, Acacia Diana lodged the third police report against the stalker who harassed her for eight years. The photographer had documented a series of proofs in a Google Drive with the hope she could bring justice for herself and live without worry.
In the past few years, there have been a lot of stalking cases, to the point where death could happen. According to the Women’s Aid Organisation (WOA), one third of Malaysians have experienced being stalked, and 39% of women have experienced being stalked in the past. The newly established Penal Code (Act 574A) has especially made a lot of women feel safe and is a first positive step for WOA.
The criminalization of stalking did not include only women but also men, as both genders need to be protected from any form of stalking. Stalking has a hue negative impact on the victim mentally, as they always feel watched, which is an invasion of privacy.
Acacia Diana’s action to bring up this case encouraged a lot of women who had suffered from being stalked to stand up for themselves. It is highly hoped that the stalker will receive his punishment for his unforgivable actions for the past eight years. ***
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