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Pertubuhan Pertolongan Wanita (WAO) Melancarkan Laporan Keganasan Rumah Tangga 2015 dan Kempen Kesedaran Awam, “Bolehkah Anda Simpan Rahsia?”

Kuala Lumpur, 23 Jun 2015 – Pertubuhan Pertolongan Wanita (WAO) melancarkan laporan tahunan bertajuk “Berganding Bahu: Kajian Kes dalam Respons Keganasan Rumah Tangga, Laporan 2015”, sekaligus melancarkan pameran seni seramik bertajuk “Bolehkah Anda Simpan Rahsia?” bersama Leo Burnett/ Arc Worldwide Malaysia hari ini di Publika. Majlis pelancaran tersebut dirasmikan oleh Menteri Pembangunan Wanita, Keluarga dan Masyarakat, YB Dato’ Sri Rohani Abdul Karim.

Laporan tersebut membutirkan pengalaman mangsa-mangsa keganasan rumah tangga dan cabaran yang dihadapi mereka dalam mencari perlindungan dan keadilan. Laporan ini juga menyenaraikan saranan komprehensif yang ditujukan kepada pihak berkuasa kerajaan yang berkenaan.

Pameran “Bolehkah Anda Simpan Rahsia?” merupakan inisiatif pendidikan awam bertujuan mempertingkatkan kesedaran orang ramai terhadap keganasan rumah tangga. Pameran ini akan mengetengahkan 12 kepala seramik saiz sebenar yang memaparkan wanita yang mungkin merupakan mangsa penderaan. Setiap kepala seramik ini mengisahkan cerita mangsa keganasan rumah tangga yang berbeza, dan menyeru orang ramai untuk tidak berdiam diri jika mereka mengesyaki berlakunya penderaan.

Barisan kepala ini dihasilkan secara sukarela oleh artis James Seet daripada Leo Burnett/ Arc Worldwide Malaysia. “Seni seramik digunakan untuk menceritakan kisah sebenar mangsa kerana menggambarkan betapa rapuhnya hidup mangsa penderaan jika tidak dibela. Mangsa biasanya hidup bertopeng sedangkan jiwa mereka sebenarnya terseksa,” kata Seet.

“Seiring dengan pegangan ‘Keinsanan’ Leo Burnett, kami ingin menyedarkan orang ramai akan keparahan isu keganasan rumah tangga. Isu ini tidak mungkin diatasi dalam sekelip mata, tetapi berkat pendedahan dan pendidikan dalam topik ini, kami berharap dapat menggalakkan rakyat Malaysia supaya bertindak apabila menyedari wujudnya keganasan rumah tangga,” jelas artis tersebut.

“Kementerian Pembangunan Wanita, Keluarga dan Masyarakat amat mengutamakan hak golongan wanita, dan sedang bekerja ke arah mencapai kesaksamaan jantina. Malaysia amat komited kepada Konvensyen berkaitan Penghapusan Segala Bentuk Diskriminasi terhadap Wanita (CEDAW). Kementerian sangat menyokong usaha-usaha untuk membantu mereka yang didera oleh ahli keluarga, tidak kira dari pihak kerajaan mahupun bukan kerajaan,” tekan YB Dato’ Sri Rohani Abdul Karim.

Beliau mengiktiraf kekuatan dan kelemahan dalam sistem respons bagi mangsa, sebagaimana digariskan oleh laporan WAO. Beliau berkata bahawa kementerian akan “mempertimbangkan cadangan-cadangan yang terdapat di dalam laporan” WAO agar keganasan rumah tangga dapat ditangani dengan lebih baik.

Sumitra Visvanathan, Pengarah Eksekutif WAO, menekankan peri pentingnya menangani keganasan rumah tangga dengan melibatkan kesemua pihak berkepentingan. Beliau berkata, “Semua agensi berkaitan termasuk pihak bukan kerajaan dan agensi kerajaan seperti pihak hospital dan pihak polis mesti berganding bahu demi mempercepat respons kita terhadap keganasan rumah tangga dan terus memastikan mangsa mendapat sokongan dan bantuan yang disediakan.”

Laporan ini mengutarakan peranan utama polis sebagai pihak bertindak pertama dalam kebanyakan kes keganasan rumah tangga. Daripada 110 mangsa yang ditinjau, 68 (61.8%) daripada mereka mendapatkan bantuan polis terlebih dahulu sebelum pihak lain.

“Polis memainkan peranan penting dalam respons keganasan rumah tangga. Adalah amat penting untuk pegawai-pegawai polis menerima sokongan dan latihan sewajarnya untuk mengendalikan kes-kes sebegini,” jelas Visvanathan.

Satu lagi isu yang diketengahkan dalam laporan ini adalah beberapa kejayaan pihak mahkamah dalam membicarakan kes penderaan rumah tangga. Contohnya: kenyataan impak mangsa (victim impact statement, VIS) berjaya digunakan untuk mendakwa pelaku, manakala seorang pelaku lain berjaya dipenjarakan kerana melanggar arahan perlindungan, kali pertama untuk Malaysia.

Naib Presiden WAO Tashia Peterson berkata semasa majlis pelancaran, “Keganasan rumah tangga bukan perkara yang normal; wanita berhak hidup tanpa keganasan. Orang ramai perlu mengenal pasti hakikat ini dan menyedari bahawa setiap daripada kita mempunyai peranan penting dalam membanteras keganasan rumah tangga.”

“Setinggi-tinggi terima kasih kepada Arc Worldwide/ Leo Burnett Malaysia atas bantuan mereka dalam menjayakan pameran seni ini, pejabat YB Senator Datuk Paul Low Seng Kuan, Menteri di Jabatan Perdana Menteri, dan Brickfields Asia College (BAC) atas sokongan murah hati mereka dalam penerbitan laporan ini. Terima kasih juga kepada Publika kerana menyediakan ruang untuk menjalankan inisiatif-inisiatif ini,” sambung beliau.

Pameran seni WAO akan berlangsung di Blue Bridge, Aras G3, Publika, sehingga 22 Julai dan seterusnya di lokasi-lokasi lain.

Laporan WAO boleh dimuat turun di bit.ly/WAOreport.

Pertubuhan Pertolongan Wanita (WAO) menyediakan tempat tinggal sementara, kerja sosial dan perkhidmatan nasihat untuk mangsa keganasan rumah tangga dan berjuang untuk hak wanita. Sila hubungi talian nasihat kami di 03 7956 3488 atau SMS TINA di 018 988 8058 sekiranya anda atau kenalan anda mengalami penderaan. Bersama-sama, kita merubah kehidupan.

Untuk maklumat lanjut: Kristine Yap, kristine.wao@gmail.com

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WAO Reveals 2015 Domestic Violence Report & Launches Public Education Campaign “Can You Keep A Secret?”

WAO Launch 'Can You Keep A Secret'

Kuala Lumpur, 23 June 2015 – Women’s Aid Organisation (WAO) revealed their annual “Working Together: Case Studies in Domestic Violence Response, 2015 Report”, simultaneously launching their public education campaign with a ceramic art installation entitled, “Can You Keep A Secret?” in collaboration with Leo Burnett/ Arc Worldwide Malaysia today in Publika. The launch was officiated by the Minister of Women, Family and Community Development, YB Dato’ Sri Rohani Abdul Karim.

The report details the experiences of domestic abuse survivors and the challenges they faced in obtaining protection and justice. WAO also compiled a comprehensive list of recommendations directed towards relevant government authorities.

“Can You Keep a Secret?” is aimed at raising awareness on domestic violence and will be on WAO 2015 Report Working Together display at the Blue Bridge on Level G3 of Publika, featuring live-size ceramic head sculptures representing everyday women who could be victims of abuse. The twelve ceramic heads feature different stories of domestic violence survivors, drawing the public’s attention and urging them to speak out when it matters most – when they notice abuse.

Artist James Seet from Leo Burnett/ Arc Worldwide Malaysia volunteered his time and skills to create the sculptures as it was an issue he strongly wanted to champion. “Ceramic art was used to mirror real stories of survivors, representing the fragility of abused victims. Masking their internal emotions with a strong façade, victims develop deep mental and emotional scars that affect their wellbeing,“ Seet said.

“In line with Leo Burnett’s Humankind philosophy of creating work that influences behaviour, we hope to be able to bring the severity of domestic violence to attention through this art installation. This issue will not resolve overnight, but with the little exposure and education on this topic, we hope to encourage Malaysians to take action when they come across domestic violence,” James added.

“The Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development prioritises women’s rights, and is working towards achieving gender equality. Malaysia is committed to our obligations to Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW). The Ministry strongly supports efforts by government and non-governmental agencies to assist survivors of domestic violence,” the Minister stressed.

WAO Launch "Can You Keep A Secret?" 2 The Minister also noted that there were strengths and weaknesses in the response system for domestic violence survivors, which the report points out. The Minister added that her Ministry would “consider all suggestions and recommendations that WAO has raised in the report to better address domestic violence.”

Sumitra Visvanathan, Executive Director of WAO, emphasised the importance of multi-stakeholder collaboration in addressing domestic violence. She stated, “All relevant bodies, including non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and government agencies such as hospitals and the police must work together to improve our response to domestic violence and continue to ensure that victim-survivors have access to the crucial support and assistance that we collectively provide.”

The report highlights the key role of police as first-responders in most domestic violence cases. From the 110 victim-survivors surveyed, 68 (61.8%) of them sought help from the police before anyone else.

“The police play a vital role in domestic violence response. It is exceedingly important that officers receive proper support and training to deal with these cases,” Visvanathan further commented.

Another highlight in the report is breakthrough developments in the courts where domestic violence cases are tried. For example, a victim impact statement (VIS) was successfully used in convicting a perpetrator. In another case, the perpetrator was successfully jailed for breaching a protection order, a first in Malaysia.

WAO Vice-President Tashia Peterson said at the launch, “Domestic violence must not be seen as normal; women have the right to a life free from violence. We want the public to recognise that and realise that we all have a part to play in ending domestic violence.”

“We would also like to thank Leo Burnett/ Arc Worldwide Malaysia for helping to make our campaign a success,as well as the office of Datuk Paul Low Seng Kuan, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, and Brickfields Asia College (BAC) for their generous support towards publishing the report. Thank you as well to Publika for providing us the space to conduct these initiatives,” she added. `

The art installation will be on display in Publika, on the Blue Bridge on Level G3, until the 22nd of July. It will then exhibited in other locations.

The report is available for download at bit.ly/WAOreport.

Women’s Aid Organisation (WAO) provides temporary shelter, social work and counselling services for domestic violence survivors and advocates for women’s human rights. Call our counselling line at 03 7956 3488 or SMS TINA at 018 988 8058 if you or someone you know is experiencing abuse. Together, we change lives.

For more information, contact: Kristine Yap, kristine.wao@gmail.com

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Men in Charge? Rethinking Authority in Muslim Legal Tradition

In April 2015, MUSAWAH–the global movement for equality in the Muslim family–launched an exciting new book which “shows that the assumption that God gave men authority over women is a theological fiction that became a legal fiction, whose main function now is to sustain gender inequality.” [1]

SYNOPSIS

Muslim legal tradition does not treat men and women equally. At the root of this discrimination lies a theological assumption: God has given men authority over women. This assumption is justified with reference to a Qur’anic verse (4:34) and is expressed in two key legal concepts that underlie the logic of most contemporary Muslim family laws. One, qiwamah, generally denotes a husband’s authority over his wife. The other, wilayah, refers to the right and duty of male family members to exercise guardianship over female members and the privileging of fathers over mothers in guardianship of their children.

Based on exciting new feminist research, Men in Charge? critically engages with this assumption and challenges male authority and gender discrimination from within the Muslim legal tradition. The authors trace how male dominance came to be inherent in the tradition, show how it is produced and sustained in contemporary times, and indicate how the tradition can be reformed in order to promote gender equality and justice.

The contributors are academics and activists from varied disciplines and backgrounds who were brought together by Musawah. Since its launch in 2009, Musawah has sought to produce new knowledge to support local and national movements as they develop and advocate for change.

Summaries of the chapters are available on MUSAWAH’s site here, and insights on the processes behind the book by editor Ziba Mir-Hosseini can be read on Open Democracy here.

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KOHL – A Journal for Body and Gender Research, Vol. 1

The first volume of Kohl: a Journal for Body and Gender Research كحل: مجلة لأبحاث الجسد و الجندر is available in English here. Arabic version coming soon.

About Kohl: Kohl: a Journal for Body and Gender Research كحل: مجلة لأبحاث الجسد و الجندر is a progressive, new journal on gender and sexuality in the Middle East, South West Asia and North Africa region. Kohl is a biannual, multilingual, open access, and peer-reviewed academic journal. It targets mainly, but not exclusively, graduate-level academics, fresh graduates, independent writers, activists, and researchers who are not affiliated with an academic institution. [1]

Rethinking Intersections: A MENA-centred Definition of Gender and Sexuality (Vol. 1): Table of Contents

Rethinking Intersections, Rethinking Contexts: Writing in Times of Dissent (Editorial) – Ghiwa Sayegh

Feminism as a Moral Imperative in a Globalised World (Commentary) – Arianne Shahvisi

Women as Space/Women in Space: Relocating our Bodies and Rewriting Gender in Space – Jana Nakhal

Reconceptualizing Sexual Harassment in Egypt: A Longitudinal Assessment of el-Taharrush el-Ginsy in Arabic Online Forums and Anti-Sexual Harassment Activism – Angie Abdelmonem

From Diaspora to Nationalism via Colonialism: The Jewish “Memory” Whitened, Israelized, Pinkwashed, and De-Queered – Sahar Mandour

Re-Orienting Desire from With/In Queer Arab Shame: Conceptualizing Queer Arab Subjectivities through Sexual Difference Theory in a Reading of Bareed Mista3jil – Sarah Hamdan

Signifying Bodies: Artistic Representations of Embodiments in the Works of Samir Khaddaje, Rabih Mroué and Lina Saneh – Zéna M. Meskaoui

Pinkwashing: Israel’s International Strategy and Internal Agenda (Testimony) – Ghadir Shafie

Women’s Rights in Iraq: Old and New Challenges (Testimony) – Ilham Hammadi

A Political Movement in Lebanon? A Conversation on Feminism and Queerness (Openings) – Sanaa H.

The Bill on Fighting Violence against Women in Morocco: Anything new? (Resource) – Anass Sadoun

Call for Submissions for Vol. 2

The deadline to apply for submissions for volume 2, “The Non-Exotic Erotic: Questions of Desire and Representation”, has been extended to 2 August 2015. Find out more here.