Former Malaysian beauty queen Dawn Jeremiah almost became another victim of snatch theft at a shopping mall in Petaling Jaya, Selangor near Kuala Lumpur (KL).

Luckily, she was with a friend and the thief didn't make a second attempt at snatching her bag.

She is one of many women who have been victims or near-victims of theft in shopping malls in KL and adjoining areas recently. Her ordeal was posted on Facebook and it was shared over 2,000 times, The Star reported.

But a Malaysian Crime Prevention Foundation executive committee member's advice to women on how to avoid such incidents had the women in collective rage.

Mr Robert Phang told the Malay Mail that the designer handbags women carry are the reason why snatch thefts happen.

He said: "Some women don't like that idea. I've told them not buy expensive handbags. Thieves nowadays don't go for Louis Vuitton any more. They say it is very common, and go for Hermes instead. "Why? Because even if there's nothing valuable inside, they can still sell the handbag. The handbag is sold for RM30,000 (S$12,000). Wouldn't you buy it if it were sold for RM600?"

Easy targets

He also said that women become easy targets because they "never change" and always carry "a lot of money".

"Women are easier to bully and tackle. They always like to have lots of money in their handbags. That is why they are attacked. That's the problem," he said.

Women's rights groups were enraged and ridiculed Mr Phang for trivialising crimes against women.

They told The Malay Mail that the comment was derogatory to women and shifted the blame to victims from the criminals.

Said Women's Aid Organisation president Mok Chuang Lian: "Statements like this reinforce the blame-the-victim mentality, not to mention other stereotypes about women. Women across the board face discrimination and violence, and many are fearful in public spaces."

She said even though every person should remain vigilant, the focus should be on the state's obligation to ensure a safe environment for all, including women.

The Sisters In Islam advocacy, legal and public education manager Suri Kempe said the remark was just another way of shifting the blame to the victim.

"Nobody pays attention to the bag. The bag, be it expensive or big or otherwise, has nothing to do with the fact that the crime has been perpetrated."

Empower executive director Maria Chin Abdullah said that if Mr Phang's statement is true, then men should not be allowed to drive expensive cars because they may be stolen.

"It's the same argument,"she said.

This article was first published in The New Paper.