Newslink Oct-Dec 2009 arial 10

Women’s Centre for Change
24-D, Jalan Jones
10250 Penang
Malaysia
NEWSLink
Tel: 04-228 0342
Fax: 04-228 5784
E-mail: wcc@wccpenang.org
Website: www.wccpenang.org
Quarterly Newsletter of Women’s Centre for Change, Penang
October—December 2009
Inside this issue
Internal Circulation
Respect Respek Workshop
Marriage & Parenting talks
by Paul Jambunathan
Page 3
“Manage Your Finance”
Workshop
Women’s Centre for Change (WCC), in collaboration with the Department of
Women’s Development, Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development,
organised a workshop entitled “Respect Respek” at the Hotel Bayview
Georgetown, Penang for counsellors, educators, and representatives from NGOs
who work with youths . The workshop was conducted over two days from 20 to 21
October. Seventy participants signed up for the training.
Page 4
Upclose & Personal
•
Voice of an abused woman
•
Sharing of UCSI intern
Page 8-9
WCC’s President, Puan Lalitha Menon, kicked off the first day with a short
welcome and shared WCC’s work with young people over the last 10 years and
why it targeted young people on issues of violence against women (VAW). WCC’s
Programme Director and trainer, Dr Prema Devaraj, then introduced the Respect
Respek Manual and indicated that the training would be conducted using this
manual. Prema explained that to understand the issue of youths and relationship, it
was necessary to see the linkage between gender and VAW, as well as societal
perceptions towards sexual violence.
The training began with a session on “Gender and VAW”. Through an interactive
session, participants learnt the difference between sex and gender roles, how
gender stereotyping lead to power differentials, and the problems (e.g.
subordination, marginalisation, discrimination, multiple burdens, and VAW) which
can arise from this power differential.
WCC WISHES YOU A NEW YEAR FILLED WITH
NEW HOPE, NEW JOY AND NEW BEGINNING…..
irrespective of a person’s religious background. A few
expressed their difficulty working with youths in a
non-judgmental manner. Participants were told to focus
on risk and health assessment with compassion and
sensitivity. Prema pointed out that messages to youths
would be better received if they felt enlightened,
supported, and empowered rather than humiliated,
abused, and shunned.
In the afternoon, the eight groups were then each
assigned an activity to assess not only their skills but
also their level of understanding of the training
received. There was much laughter and excitement as
participants hurriedly prepared their sessions and made
their presentations.
Participants then learnt about male violence stemming
from patriarchal beliefs, male expectations regarding
privileges, societal permission for the violence and why
it was necessary to address power disparity between
the sexes.
“Perceptions on Sexual Violence” was covered in the
second session. Here, participants were broke into
eight groups; each group discussed different societal
perceptions about sexual violence. The groups
discussed perceptions like “only pretty women get
raped, rape is an uncontrollable act of lust, women can
prevent rape from happening, women lie about rape, a
man cannot be sexually assaulted”. The groups then
presented their views. An open and intense discussion
followed. Participants also learnt how society often
blames the victim – the result of traditional gender
stereotypical ideas.
Using the modules in the Manual, participants were
then trained on exploring friendships, ideas about the
opposite sex, behaviours and relationships, and case
studies.
The second day began with a short recap.
Participants raised the issue of the suitability of the
material for their students. The issue of religion was
raised and discussed frankly and participants
acknowledged that the concerns of youths were similar
Prema gave suggestions on how they could improve
their presentations and encouraged them to further
practise what they had learnt. Participants were given
an evaluation form to give feedback of the training. The
general consensus was “puas hati”. Prema thanked the
participants for their commitment and also to WCC staff
and volunteers for facilitating the sessions.
On a scale of 1(weak/not useful) to 3 (good/useful), 49
participants gave the sessions an overall 2.93 average.
Their comments included
•
•
•
•
•
•
Effective, comprehensive
Information given in a useful manner
Good to have practical sessions at the end
Programme was too packed
Practical sessions suitable for small groups
Some activities are not suitable for my students
96% felt that they could conduct these activities with their
students as it was relevant,
easy to understand and fun.
However, only 10% of
participants are currently
conducting such activities
with their students.
On 6 December, Pusat Perkhidmatan Wanita, Seberang Perai Coordinator Lau Swee Li, went to Rumah Nur, Balik
Pulau to give a talk in Mandarin on marital issues to 25 participants. Swee Li discussed the problems faced by couples and as individuals. Participants then discussed various ways of improving communication between spouses.
Swee Li used role play to demonstrate conflict dynamics which occur in a marriage to help the participants see how
(mis)communication can take place in daily life.
Swee Li also shared with the participants the “Five Love Languages Theory” by Gary Chapman which are words of
affirmation, quality time, gifts, acts of service and physical touch. She gave examples to show the importance of
expressing love to their spouses in ways that they might understand. The talk was conducted in a very interactive
way and was able to enrich those who participated.
Concerned with the rising number of people
experiencing crises in marriages and in parenting, WCC
and Pusat Perkhidmatan Wanita (PPW) Seberang
Perai, organised two separate talks on Marriage and
Parenting on 21 and 22 November for the public. WCC
was honoured to have Paul K Jambunathan, a
renowned clinical psychologist with 34 years
experience of dealing with marital, children, and family
issues. The event was sponsored by the State
Women's Committee on Women, Family and
Community Development while the venue was
generously hosted by Wawasan Open University.
‘Marriages are about
being communicative,
enthusiastic,
thoughtful, supportive,
sensual, and fun’
Paul used brick breaking, chopping off twigs and other
activities to illustrate how parents communicate with
their children. Chopping off the twigs was symbolic of a
child who had lost his/her confidence, dignity, spirit, and
much more when parents constantly blame or do not
nurture their child. Brick breaking symbolised the
hardening of the exterior of the child because of
pressure exerted by its parents. He also broke a pot of
a bonsai plant to show the audience its scruffy and
tangled roots representing the psychological part of the
child crammed into a small, narrow space; and a
sponge to represent a child who had been well nurtured
and so easily absorbed the lessons taught.
“Marriages are about being communicative,
enthusiastic, thoughtful, supportive, sensual, and fun”
said Paul on his talk on Marriage: An Alternative
Language of Love. He told the audience that in order to
speak the language of love, we must have 3As Attention, Appreciation and Affection, as well as 3Ps Patience, Persistence and Presence. He also
encouraged the attendees to reflect on their value of
their relationships. At the end, he reminded the crowd
of the importance of communicating with their spouses
and to be constantly aware of their own emotions and
attitudes towards each other. “We will never become
different unless we start the journey of self-awareness
deliberately,” he said. An enthusiastic audience of over
140 people attended his talk.
Both talks were able to engage the attendees’
emotions and thoughts. At the end of the talks, there
were long queues where the audience took the
opportunity to ask questions and get advice from Paul.
On the second day, attended by more than 90
people, mainly parents and couples, Paul spoke about
Effective Parenting: The Essential Recipe which
focused on steps to improve parenting skills and better
communication with children. He reminded the
audience that “in order to be an effective parent, we
must grow with our children's emotional growth”.
The Vice President of Rumah Nur Daerah Barat Daya, Ms Agnes Loh, invited WCC to give a talk on domestic
violence to their church members on 25 October at Balik Pulau. Forty-five members attended the two-hour talk.
Speaking from many years' experience dealing with cases, WCC Service Coordinator Annie Yeap, discussed the
different types of domestic violence, the role of WCC in helping the victims, men's roles in eliminating violence, as
well as women's rights. The session was interactive and participatory.
Workshop on “Mengurus Kewangan Anda”
YB Chong Eng, adviser of the Penang State Women, Family and Community Development Committee together with
WCC’s President Lalitha Menon, committee member Datin Chin Khuan Sui and Service Coordinator Annie Yeap
launched the WCC’s new handbook Mengurus Wang Anda at a workshop held at SEAMEO RECSAM on 14
November. The workshop “Mengurus Kewangan Anda” was jointly organised by WCC and PPW, and sponsored by
the State Women’s Committee. An overwhelming response of sixty participants, mostly single mothers and women
from the lower income families, attended.
In the first session, Puan Nor Azizah bt Mohd Anuar of Financial Mediation Bureau, gave an introduction on its
agency’s role in assisting the public in dealing with complaints, disputes or claims involving financial loss. The services
are free of charge.
In the second session, Encik Ahmad Azaharudin Mohd Anuar from Bank Negara Malaysia spoke about the various
types of scams in Malaysia. He advised participants to be alert of scams and anyone coming across suspicious
activities can contact Bank Negara at Tele-link, 1300-88-5465 to establish whether it is a scam and any issues related
to banking, insurance and claims.
Encik Mohd Fuad, a speaker from Agensi Kaunseling dan Pengurusan Kredit (AKPK), then spoke about the role of
AKPK and conducted a short activity related to the participants' monthly budgeting. Three participants
discussed their monthly financial situation with the group, all of whom experienced high expenses alongside limited
income. Others spoke of their difficulties in paying repaying interest and debts. Encik Fuad then helped them look at
how they might increase their income rather then cut expenditure in view of the high cost of living. He also told them
AKPK could help them restructure their budget and repay their debts in an affordable manner.
Annie ended the session by showing the participants how to record their daily budget using WCC’s Mengurus Wang
Anda handbook and discussed why it was important to keep a record of their expenses. The workshop was rated as
excellent by most of the participants who hoped to attend such workshops in the future.
WCC, together with P e n a n g
Education Consultative Council,
organi sed a one-day Tamil
workshop on Personal Safety using
the WCC’s Bijak Itu Selamat (BIS)
(Be Smart Be Safe) package.
Seventeen participants comprising
Tamil school counsellors and
residential home carers attended
this training held at Perpustakaan
Awam, Seberang Jaya on 4
December.
W CC m em ber, Sant ha ru by,
welcomed the participants and
WCC member, Maria Francisca,
then gave a short presentation on
how the BIS package had
developed over the last 10 years.
Jayamalar Samuel, WCC ex-project
officer conducted the training with a
session on child sexual abuse and
followed by societal perceptions
about it. She explained about child
sexual abuse and the role of the
prevention programme using the
WCC Ok Tak Ok Siri 2 VCD. After
lunch, the participants took turns to
practise conducting the programme
and learnt how to handle disclosure
should a child approach them.
The feedback from participants
included “an excellent workshop”, “I
got a lot of input”, “there should be
more programmes like this”. WCC’s
offer to further support the teachers
to conduct similar workshop in their
schools received positive response
from the crowd. The training was
sponsored by Majlis Mesyuarat
Kerajaan (Pendidikan), and each
participant received a complimentary of WCC’s BIS package which
included the VCD Ok Tak Ok Siri 2
and “Nina and Her Secret” which
has translated and published in
Tamil. WCC volunteers, Azlan
Mohamed and Vimal and intern
Tung Hoot Ying, helped to coordinate and facilitate the arrangements
for the day.
WCC, in collaboration with PPW,
held a one-day follow-up training
for its volunteers and staff in the
hope to set up a Rape Support
Network. The training, sponsored
by MMK Women, Family and
Community Development, was held
at the YMCA on 12 December. Ten
participants selected from Rape
Support Network workshop held in
July attended the training. Prema
started the session with the
participants practising how they
m i g h t d ev e l o p a su p p o r t
relationship and worked in pairs,
taking turns to be the client/support
worker. Next, using real life case
studies, the participants practised
building empathy and identifying
issues and feelings of rape victims.
Af ter a coff ee break, the
participants practised how to gently
challenge self-blame and explore
options with the victims. They also
visited the One Stop Crisis Centre
(OSCC) at the Emergency and
Trauma unit at Hospital Pulau
Pinang (HPP), where they met Dr
Premila and the nurses on duty
who took time to explain the
procedures involved when dealing
“It’s meaningful to be the one in
the front line, helping and
exploring options with the
survivors”
-Workshop participantwith rape victims. They showed the
participants the OSCC room as
well as the ward where the
survivors are warded overnight if
they are younger than 18 years of
age or if they require treatment.
One participant said “ It was an eye
opener to see what the rape
survivor experiences in the
hospital”.
After lunch, the participants
explored the various resources
available in the community to the
rape victims as well as when to
refer them to such resources. The
last session saw the participants
learning how to end the session
with a rape victim and keep the
door open so that they would have
access to help should the need
arise.
Those who attended remarked that
they appreciated the case studies
and the opportunity to practise their
skills. Comments included “I feel
more confident now in handling
rape cases. It’s challenging as I
have never done this before. It is
meaningful to be the one in the
front line, helping and exploring
options with the survivors”.
WCC, working in collaboration with
OSCC HPP, has provided support
rape survivors since January 2009
meeting them either at the hospital,
at WCC, or at a meeting place of
their choice.
Supporting Rape Survivors Talk at HPP
As part of the Continuing Medical Education sessions in HPP, WCC was invited
to give a presentation on the OSCC–WCC collaboration for rape victims. Prema
explained why WCC was involved in this collaboration in her “Supporting Rape
Survivors” talk to 150 medical personnel on 20 November at HPP. Since January,
WCC has supported nearly 40 rape victims and this has helped to deepen WCC’s
understanding of what rape victims face, their fears as well as their hopes. At the
end of the talk there were questions on whether WCC provided religious
education for the survivors and whether WCC could be co-opted as HPP staff.
A friendly reminder to pay your WCC membership fee. It is only RM12 per year
or RM200 for life membership. Kindly issue your cheque payable to:
Women’s Centre for Change
OUTREACH UPDATES
Conflict Literacy Programme
The Conflict Literacy Programme started in 2008 and WCC carried out a pilot programme in both national and
vernacular primary schools at SJK Hamilton and SJKC Min Sin. The programme comprised six sessions including
topics on feelings, signs of emotions, actions and reactions, empathy with the aim to teach children how to deal with
conflicts without resorting to violence.
This year, the programme kicked off in October with Annie and volunteers Tang Kae Shih and Ng Lee Y'ng running
the programme in the Chinese schools while Annie and Tasha facilitated in the national school.
Most of the students in Min Sin primary school confided that they
had conflicts with friends, parents, teachers and others and spoke
about the problems they were undergoing. The facilitators used
different techniques such as games, discussion, role-play, and
drawing to engage them in activities. Most preferred games
because they were fun.
On the other hand, the children from SK Hamilton had a very
different experience where, out of 11 students from the group, only
4 children admitted having conflicts with their parents.
Overall, the students from both schools felt that they learnt about
their own feelings, how to understand other people’s feelings and
reactions, ways of managing and understanding conflict. They
could try to find ways to deal with it before it escalated. They
indicated that they had enjoyed the sessions and hoped they had
been longer.
Annie felt that these students were articulate in responding to issues of conflict despite the fact that they may forget
the whole purpose of the activities. On the whole, the facilitators felt they needed to brush up their skills to be more
creative and lively while engaging students because styles of conducting the activities so far tended to be more
teacher than student orientated.
Gender Awareness talks
Talks on Child Sexual Abuse
WCC was approached by two youth groups, namely
Institut Pendidikan Guru Malaysia (IPGM) and SMJK
(C) Chung Hwa Confucian to run a session on
gender awareness on 10 and 19 November
respectively.
The Department of Paediatric from the Penang
General Hospital organised a two-day seminar on
"Suspected Child Abuse & Neglect" on 6-7 October.
The organiser invited WCC to give a talk on the role of
WCC in handling victims of child abuse on the second
day. Around 100 medical personnel and nurses from
different district hospitals and clinics attended.
The aims of this programme are to examine
commonly held views on how the opposite sex
behaves in a relationship and the impact of these
views on their behaviour. Students were able to
understand and discussed issues like the
differences between gender and sex, why men are
violent and that women are as capable as men.
Students found that the most
interesting issues were the
differences on sex and gender,
equal opportunities of sexes and the
society's expectations of men and
women.
WCC representative, Annie told the participants ways
WCC helps sexually abused children and how we
works closely with hospital staff to support these
victims. She also talked about the programme on the
personal safety of children in schools. Many of the
participants were impressed with
the work we have done and the sale
of our package on 'Bijak itu
Selamat' went well. The organiser
said they would like to invite WCC
yearly to present on our experiences and network with staff of
Penang Hospital.
Child Sexual Abuse Training
Cabaran Wanita Masa Kini
WCC and PPW together with Dewanita, Dewan
Perniagaan Melayu Pulau Pinang held a one-day
wo r k sh o p
at
S E A ME O
RE C S AM
f or
Muslim women on “Cabaran Wanita Masa Kini”. The
workshop held on 31 October and sponsored by
MMK Pembangunan Wanita, Keluarga dan Komuniti
& EED, aimed at equipping the Muslim women with
information on Islamic Family Law (IFL) and gender
issue so as to enable them to be more aware of their
rights.
The workshop participants consisted of Dewanita
members, Lembaga Kebajikan Perempuan Islam
members, previous workshop participants, WCC
clients and members of the general public from
different backgrounds. Despite extensive promotion,
only half of the 40 women who registered to attend
turned up. Those who were present suggested that
there were many religious talks being conducted at
the same time and perhaps lack of transport caused
poor turn out. Some suggested that the organiser
should arrange transportation in the future.
Playing games and singing songs? A workshop on
the prevention on child sexual abuse? Yes, it was
– for preschool teachers. Responding to numerous
requests for a module for young children, WCC has,
since 2004, compiled activities from various
resources into a module which help young children
understand their bodies, the difference between
good and bad touch and how to ask for help. WCC
conducts a workshop for preschool teachers at least
once a year.
This year, the workshop for preschool teachers was
organised by SERI and conducted by WCC staff
Prema and Shobana. Seventeen participants from 5
different kindergartens in Penang attended this 2-day
training from 3 to 4 October. The training began with
a lecture on child sexual abuse and the situation in
Malaysia. This was followed by a series of interactive
activities which encouraged participants to look at
factors which enable a child to trust someone,
elements to consider when working with children, as
well as influences which affect their own feelings and
how they respond as adults to certain situations.
Nevertheless, the participants presence found it very
useful and rated the programme as excellent. Most
felt it was important to know the issues and rights of
Muslim women and knowledge of IFL. The audience
also suggested new topics to include in future
sessions eg rights of a wife after being abandoned
by her spouse, issues on divorce, talaq and
maintenance, etc.
The workshop was facilitated by WCC members
Yuslinov Ahmad and Shariza Kamarudin, together
with WCC Programme Officer, Tasha Merican. Our
sincere thanks to volunteers Zara Hamdan, Nurayuni
Shukur, Erin Haroun and Azlan Mohamed for their
assistance during the workshop.
Over the two days, the participants were taken
through this module (draft) which contained the
following 6 topics: My Body, Touches, My Feelings,
Safety Rules, Telling Someone and Secrets. Each
topic has 1 or 2 activities suitable for 6-year olds.
The participants tried each of the activities in the
module so that they could understand better how to
conduct them with preschool children. Attendees
ranged in teaching experience from 2 months to 9
years and were enthusiastic and open to the variety
of participatory activities aimed at preschoolers.
They then worked in small groups presenting each
activity to the larger group for comment.
Understanding that working with young children on
this issue needs to be done with care and sensitivity,
WCC staff stressed the importance of taking time
over the curriculum. The last session taught the
participants how to respond should disclosure take
place and the resources in the community from
whom they can obtain help for the abused child.
Participants evaluated each session of the workshop
positively and feedback included “Suatu benda yang
baru yang harus diteruskan, very informative, well
done, have more sessions”.
PRIMARY SCHOOL TALKS
Just before the school holidays, SK Bayan Lepas and SJKT Permatang
Tinggi invited WCC to run “Bijak Itu Selamat” programme on child sexual
abuse prevention. The sessions were held on 13 and 17 November
respectively. WCC showed the students WCC’s VCD, Ok Tak Ok where
they learnt that sexual abuse is a crime; not to keep secrets on bad touch
and why they must inform someone they trust if they should be subjected
to inappropriate acts. WCC outreach team conducted two sessions for
each school. Overall, WCC's team was able to reach out to 360 students
from these two primary schools.
Staff Tasha and our volunteer, Poh Lerk Shih, facilitated this two-hour
session. Lerk Shih conducted the session for the very first time and she
did a great job, impressing on the students the types of risky situations and
how to say ‘no’ firmly to unwanted touches. The students were responsive. Our volunteers Meyuri Michelle, Rubavathy Bojan, Jennie Antonisamy, Santharuby Sandanasamy, and Vivien Lee were involved in the programme and,
through observation, also learnt the techniques of engaging with the students spontaneously.
SECONDARY SCHOOL TALKS
During the whole month of November, staff, Tasha Merican and volunteers Tang Kae Shih and Thomas Michal, were
busy running the personal safety session in the following schools:
•
SMK Sri Mutiara, 3 Nov
•
SMK Jalan Damai, Bukit Mertajam, 4 Nov
•
SMK Hamid Khan, 5 Nov
•
SMK Convent Pulau Tikus, 12 Nov
•
SMJKC Jit Sin, Bukit Mertajam, 24 Nov
These sessions focus on encouraging female teenagers to be aware of sexual assault and safety strategies in risky
situations. This two-hour programme for students between the ages of 13 to 17 featured the WCC VCD Building
Healthy Relationship and a talk on sexual assault was well received by the secondary schools.
In SMK Hamid Khan, about 30 Form Three boys attended the “Perlakuan Remaja” talk which focused on sexual
harassment behaviours of boys. During the two-hour session, the boys shared that sexual assault happened
because of the clothes victims wear and the perpetrator’s “nafsu tinggi”.
The facilitator, Thomas, took the
opportunity to debunk these myths. One of the students asked the facilitator whether boys can be raped and Thomas
explained that because of the power and control that could be asserted against the victim, boys too can become
subjects of sexual assault. Thomas was assisted by a new volunteer, Anand.
This year alone, WCC covered over 15 schools with a total of 1,800 teenagers. We thank our dedicated volunteers
who assisted us during the sessions, especially Lerk Shih, Vivien Lee, Gwendolyn, and intern Hoot Ying. We hope
to train other volunteers to become facilitators in the future.
Thanks to KDU students
Keeping up with the information communication and technology world, WCC is pleased to have a group of students
from KDU College, School of Engineering and Information Technology volunteering to develop an intranet database
to record WCC’s clients’ information as part of their coursework. This database will be useful for capturing and
compiling clients' information systematically. It would help WCC retrieve clients’ records
easily even if a client were to return to WCC after many years, The system would also
be able to analyse statistically the cases handled by WCC over time periods and across
different categories and help us to evaluate and improve our service.
The application is now up and running after 8 months of hard work and we would like to
take this opportunity to thank Lim Ping Hun, Edmund Chong Woon Hou, Kim Lian Hong
and Tan Zhi Keong for their efforts. Much thanks to Lerk Shih, a WCC volunteer for connecting us with this group of students.
Close &
U
ersonal
Through Hoot Ying’s Eyes
When I first stepped into the WCC office, my first impression was WCC is a small, packed and
messy office. However, I had a strong feeling that my new colleagues are warm and friendly
people and I was right from the very first day I started working in WCC. My two-month-internship
in WCC was a good exposure for me as this was my first experience in a working environment. I
really had a great and enjoyable time gaining new knowledge and experiences which I would not
have learnt in my university.
One of my unforgettable memories in WCC was my participation during the Civic Information
Fair at the State Legislative Assembly Building in November. I was surprised by the yelling and
shouting from a group of people who stood outside the assembly building. Everyone at the fair
was taken aback by the aggressive demonstrators. The demonstration caused a massive traffic
jam along Light Street. I could not believe my eyes because this was the first time I had ever encountered such a demonstration. Apart from this unexpected protest, I also felt excited listening
to the live debates among ADUNs and having the first hand experience of talking to some
ADUNs face-to-face. Through this participation, had the chance to learn some of the work and
services of other NGOs in town.
In WCC, I had the privilege to be exposed and involved in different types of work. During the first
two weeks at WCC I was busy with the publicity promotion on Paul Jambunathan’s talks on Marriage and Parenting. I also helped out in some of the workshops organised by WCC such as
“Manage Your Finance Workshop” and “Personal Safety Tamil Workshop”. I also enjoyed going
to schools with Tasha and other WCC volunteers for the outreach programme on Personal
Safety. All these interesting activities made my working time here more exciting and meaningful.
As part of my internship as a psychology student, I was able to
observe in the counselling sessions. Observing the counselling
sessions gave me a clearer picture of the problems that clients
faced. I was also able to learn about email counseling and see
how the staff’s replies. Their replies were able to address the client’s issue in a direct and helpful way. I noticed that I have become more interested to learn about counselling and in the future,
I hope that I shall be able to help people to help themselves .
Although I only interned for two months, I was exposed to many
different kinds of social issues that I had never heard of in my life.
Filing the newspaper cuttings on various issues about violence
against women and children in Malaysia and all over the world
was an eye opener. This exposure had increased my concern and
awareness of the social issues and my desire to contribute back
to our society in the near future.
Tung Hoot Ying-second
year Psychology student
from Universiti Sedaya
College
Last but not least, I would like to extend my gratitude to all the
staff in WCC, especially my supervisor, Annie, for the guidance
and advice throughout my internship here. I felt so honoured to be
able to work, learn and contribute to WCC in one way or another. I
wish WCC all the best and thank you once again for everything.
Aku berusia 45 tahun. Aku melangkah ke alam
perkahwinan di usia yang masih mentah, ketika
kawan-kawan sebaya masih menikmati zaman
bujang mereka. Perkahwinan aku dan suami tidak
direstui oleh pihak keluarganya.
Aku sering dipukul dan ketika mengandung anak
sulungku 7 bulan, aku ditendang di bahagian
belakang. Yang hairan ibu bapanya langsung tidak
menegur perlakuan anak mereka terhadap diriku.
Aku membiarkan apa sahaja yang diperlakukan oleh
suamiku kerana aku malu untuk bercerita
keadaanku pada keluargaku.
Aku menyangka sikap suami pasti berubah
sekiranya aku menuruti apa sahaja kemahuannya.
Maki-hamun, caci-cerca adalah perkara biasa buat
suamiku dan ini dilakukan di hadapan anak-anak.
Perlakuan seksnya juga agak luar biasa. Susah
untuk berehat walaupun aku dalam keadaan haid.
Peristiwa yang lebih menyayat hati aku ialah apabila
mendapat tahu suami aku menjalinkan hubungan
sulit dengan perempuan lain tanpa pengetahuanku
selama 5 tahun.
Aku jarang bergaul dengan jiran mahupun keluarga kandungku. Dia tidak suka aku menghubungi
adik-beradikku. Suami aku seringkali mengugut akan membunuhku jika aku tinggalkannya.
Keadaan inilah yang membuatkan aku hidup dalam ketakutan.
Aku pasti ramai wanita yang teraniaya seperti aku terpaksa meneruskan kehidupan perkahwinan
mereka demi anak-anak. Aku bertahan begitu lama, memendam rasa atas apa jua perlakuannya,
sehinggalah aku diusir dari rumah. Aku membuat keputusan untuk melaporkan kejadian
terhadapku di balai polis yang berhampiran. Mungkin anak-anak aku yang seramai 10 orang inilah
menjadi kekuatan untuk aku keluar dari kehidupan perkahwinan neraka ini. Aku memberanikan diri
membuat laporan, pergi ke hospital untuk rawatan diri dan seterusnya aku ditempatkan di WCC. Di
tempat inilah aku mendapat ketenangan dan boleh berfikir walaupun masih dalam kebingungan.
Aku amat berterima kasih kepada WCC dan kakitangan WCC atas budi baik mereka selama aku
tinggal di sini.
Kepada wanita yang turut mengalami nasib seperti aku, aku nasihatkan “Kita kaum wanita tidak
harus diperalatkan oleh suami-suami yang mengambil kesempatan di atas kelemahan kita. Kita
sebenarnya tidak lemah tetapi merekalah yang membuatkan kita sedemikian”.
Akhir kata, “SAYANGILAH DIRI KITA DAHULU SEBELUM KITA MAHU ORANG MENYAYANGI
KITA.”
* Karya diatas adalah hasil penulisan seorang klien ketika ditempatkan di rumah perlindungan
sementara WCC
PARTICIPATION
Civic Information Fair: Bridging NGOs and Policy-Makers
The Centre for Public Policy Studies (CPPS) invited Penang civic society groups to participate in the
inaugural “Civic Information Fair: Bridging NGOs and Policy-Makers”. This event allowed the NGOs to promote their
organization’s programmes and advocacy goals directly to members of the State Assembly in an informal and open
setting. It provided an opportunity for both the NGOs and State Assembly members to understand their respective
positions and roles in this democratic society.
The fair was held over one and a half days from 30 Nov to 1
Dec, in conjunction with the sitting of the Penang State
Legislative Assembly. There were about 10 local and
international NGOs involved in the fair including WCC, Suaram
Penang, Amnesty International, World Alliance for Breastfeeding
Action (WABA), Pesticide Action Network Asia and the Pacific
(PANAP), Socio-Economic and Environmental Research
Institute (SERI).
Inspite of the good initiative by CPPS, the poor response from
ADUNs was disappointing. Nonetheless, the event did help build
solidarity among the NGOs and some of the ADUNs.
WCC staff felt that this event would have been more effective
and successful in strengthening the relations between
policy-makers and the NGOs had time had been allocated for
policy-makers to visit the various NGOs’ booths. This would have created an avenue for the policy-makers and
WCC staff, Lee Sook Foong attended a workshop
entitled “Leading the Way towards Positive Living” on
3 & 4 October at Naza Hotel organised by Penang
Family Health Development Association (FHDA).The
workshop aimed to bring awareness and educate
women on issues associated with reproductive health
and HIV/AIDS
On the first day, the speaker shared about what HIV
and AIDS were, the facts and myths associated with
them, and modes of transmission and its relation to
the increase number of women infected with HIV/
AIDS.
On the second day, the trainer also highlighted many
examples on women’s rights, their attitude towards
sexual reproductive health, and how gender played a
role in women’s ability to control and decide on issues
relating to sex.
The workshop also benefitted nurses from the
government hospital in Penang, staff from PUSPEN
and the Penang prison, caregivers living with HIV/
AIDS as well as staff and volunteers from FHDA.
Azlan Mohamed, a WCC volunteer, attended a
training session organised by Family Health
Development Association (FHDA) and National
Council Women Oganisation in collaboration with the
Malaysian AIDS Council on 12 & 13 December at
Bangunan ACC, Hospital Pulau Pinang. Topics
included sexual health and reproductive systems,
women and HIV/AIDS and the stigma and
discrimination of being HIV positive.
Participants were mainly staff from Hospital Pulau
Pinang, Hospital Seberang Jaya, Agensi Anti Dadah
Kebangsaan and FHDA volunteers. On the first day,
the speaker talked about the anatomy of both the male
and female reproductive systems and their
relationship to HIV/AIDS. There were lessons on
breast as well as testicle self-examination using
silicon models.
On the second day, the trainer talked about
stigmatism, myths, and discrimination against HIV
positive people. Participants received certificates for
attendance.
Seminar on Understanding Gender Mainstreaming
On 11 December, WCC and PPW staff attended a half
day seminar on “Understanding and Mainstreaming
Gender” sponsored by MMK Women, Family and
Community Development in collaboration with UPEN
and KANITA.
not sensitive to gender mainstreaming can impact
women's roles when they create a new policy.
WCC staff Prema, Sook Foong, Tasha, Elaine Wong
from PPW and intern Hoot Ying attended the half-day
seminar.
The seminar was officiated by YB Lydia Ong Kok Fooi,
MMK’s Chairperson. Sixty people from the civil service
such as the Veterinary, Mahkamah Rendah Syariah,
UPEN and SUK attended. Dr Noraida Endut and Dr
Cecilia Ng conducted the first session on
“Understanding Gender and Gender Inequality” which
involved the participants identifying which statements
were gender or sex related.
Next Prof Datin Dr Rashidah Shuib gave her input on
“Gender Mainstreaming” and how they are in line with
the National Policy on Women (Dasar Wanita Negara).
Prof Rashidah reinforced the meaning of gender and
stressed that women participation in the employment
sector was crucial because the effects of policy making
can be negative. For example, women in the past who
used to be farmers earned a decent income but they
effectively became redundant with the introduction of
machinery. This was an example of how policy-makers
International Conferences
University Community Engagement Conference
Prema presented case study NGO-Educational Institutions Partnership in Promoting Child Sexual Abuse Prevention
Programmes in Penang, Malaysia at the University Community Engagement Conference (UCEC) 2009 held at
Bayview Hotel, Penang on 24 November. This conference was organised by the Division of Industry and
Community Network (BJIM), University Sains Malaysia in collaboration with Global Alliance on Community Engaged
Research (GACER) and UNESCO-APEID. Prema’s presentation was on WCC’s relationship with Institute
Pendidikan Guru Malaysia (IPGM) Kampus Pulau Pinang, English Major students. She traced the types of student
participation in WCC child sexual abuse prevention programmes in the community over the last 6 years:
•
Passive participation – students who just listened to a lecture on child sexual abuse and why it was
important to have prevention programmes
• Functional participation – students who helped WCC promote and conduct the child sexual abuse
prevention programme
• Interactive participation – students who gave input to the child sexual abuse prevention
programme
• Self mobilisation – students who conducted the programme in schools after they graduated from IPGM
without WCC instigation
The presentation also looked at the factors which contributed to self-mobilisation of the students.
International Association for Adolescent Health Conference
Prema, representing WCC, participated in the International Association for Adolescent Health Conference (IAAH)
2009 held at Hotel Shangri-la in Kuala Lumpur from 28 to 30 October. She presented two papers, “Supporting Rape
Survivors” and “Involvement of Young Men and Boys in Sexual Assault”. About 100 people attended each session
which generated much discussion among the audience afterwards. Prema also chaired a symposium on “Sexuality
and Culture” jointly with Dr Illias Adam. WCC is grateful to receive full sponsorship from the National Population and
Family Development Board for this conference.
ADVOCACY
Media Forum “Unite to End Violence
Against Women”
WCC took part in a Media Forum “Unite to End
Violence Against Women” organised by the United
Nations, Malaysia and the Women’s Institute of
Management (WIM), in conjunction with the
International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against
W omen and the UN Secretary-General’s
Campaign to End Violence Against Women. The forum
was held in Renaissance Kuala Lumpur Hotel on 25
November and was attended by 60 participants,
i ncl udi ng m embers of
t he medi a. T he
participants were first addressed by Dato Dr Nellie TanWong, Deputy Chairperson of WIM followed by Mr
Kamal Malhotra, the UN Resident Coordinator. Next,
the forum convened with moderator, YB
Hajah Nancy Haji Shukri, chairperson of the Malaysian
Women’s Parliamentary Caucus and the three invited
speakers: Haslinah Yacob from AWAM, Prema Devaraj
from WCC and Ivy Josiah from WAO. Haslinah spoke
about the need to involve boys and men; Prema spoke
about WCC’s work with youths and children in the
community and Ivy spoke about how ICTs were being
used in VAW. After the speakers had finished their
presentations, there was an open (and very lively!)
question and answer session. WCC’s materials were
well received. The event was covered by the media in
TV3 that evening, an article in the SUN the following
day, and in the NST a week later.
Penang Local Govt Consultative Forum
WCC committee member, Chin Khuan Sui represented
W CC in the Penang Local Government
Consultative Forum, which was held at Sunway Hotel
Seberang Jaya on 21 December.
The forum gave an opportunity to the people from
Penang Island and Mainland to raise issues on public
interest and other matters pertaining to Penang development. Exco members, Aduns, MPPP and MPSP
members and Heads of Departments were there to take
notes on those issues raised which may potentially be
taken action upon in the near future.
Khuan Sui took this opportunity to raise up the matter of
the alleged rape of a four-year-old girl in a
kindergarten in Jelutong that happened last year March.
To date the investigation is still pending and no outcome in sight. At the meeting, the status of the Tadika,
operating without a proper license was also raised.
WCC have been supporting the distraught family over
the prolonged case. The Chinese media covered the
case extensively.
Ada Apa Dengan Penan?
Being a member of the Government Task Force which
investigated the allegations of sexual abuse of Penan
women and children, WCC is also a member of the
Penan Support Group via the Joint Action Group for
Gender Equality (JAG).
JAG organised a forum, “Ada Apa Dengan Penan?” at
the Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall on 14 October.
Speakers for the panel included Prema Devaraj, from
WCC, Hellan Empaing from Persatuan Wanita Desa
Sarawak/Jaringan Orang Asal SeMalaysia, Ragunath
Kesavan, President of Malaysian Bar, Jenita Engi from
Centre For Orang Asli Concerns (COAC) and DSP
Zaitun Che Lah from Sexual Crimes Investigation
Division (D11) Bukit Aman.
There were 40 attendees including some members of
the press. Prema linked the sexual exploitation of the
women to a loss of power by the indigenous peoples in
Sarawak. This was due to a lack of respect for their
culture and as a result of rapid development pursued by
the state government. The two indigenous women
speakers shared their concerns for their communities
and highlighted the injustices facing the indigenous
peoples in the country. The police representative spoke
on the difficulty of investigating cases where there is
little evidence to go on and a lack of trust from the
victims. The last speaker spoke about the rights of the
indigenous people not being a priority of the
government. The forum was covered in Malaysiakini the
next day.
MORE ACTIVITIES...
Supporting single mothers
Pusat Perkhidmatan Wanita, a women’s service centre in Mainland, started a five-session of social support and
education for single mothers from 11 November to 30 December. Single parents, especially single mothers,
experience higher levels of depression and family stress. Many of them also experience lower levels of social
support. They are at an increased risk of psychosocial disadvantage as well as mental health problems. Besides
offering social support, the single mothers were also taught to manage their emotions, improve their parenting skills,
build self-esteem and access other social resources. These sessions were conducted in Mandarin and Swee Li, the
facilitator, is planning to run a similar programme in Malay or English in the near future, to provide for single mothers of
different races.
Eight single mothers registered for the support group although only six
attended. Most were divorced due to family violence while the
others were widows. Despite their different backgrounds, these women
shared the same feelings when they were given the opportunity to
reveal their identity as single mothers without any pressure or biases.
One person felt that the support group provided her a comfortable
space to speak of her experiences and the group sharing helped her
understand herself and others better. She spoke of her experiences to
her daughter after each session and found it helpful in improving their
communication. Another also felt empowered, inspired, and
connected with the other single mothers. She learnt that everyone had
her own story to tell and something to share which had helped her with
her self-development.
At the end of the last session, the group expressed hopes that PPW will organise follow up activities for them to keep
in touch with each other.
Trip to Kampung Bujang
As a year end relaxation, WCC organized a field trip to Kampung Bujang for the staff on 29 Dec 2009. Located north of
Sungai Petani, Kampung Bujang is a fishing village which has a lot of eco-tourism potential. The 40 minutes’ journey
from Penang was well planned by Tuan Haji Romli Bakar or more fondly known as Pak Su. Pak Su is a retiree who
runs four tuition centres at his Kampung and the man behind the setting up of the Educational, Sports and Welfare
Club, Kampung Bujang. He wanted to give us an exposure of the Kampung life and also to explore the possibility of
running an educational session on Bijak Itu Selamat programme with the kampung children. The trip was worth it
though along the way our Juara car encountered a tyre punctured. But that did not break our spirit and we looked
forward for the exciting adventure.
Pak Su first brought us on a cruise (or boat ride) at Sungai Merbok to see
the beauty of the mangrove swamps at a closer look. Safwan a young club
member became our guide and briefed us on the mangrove swamp. We
came to know that Sungai Merbok has now become a popular tourist
attraction for those interested in mangrove swamp conservation.
Next, we were brought to the platform to listen to Pak Su’s briefing on the
issues and lessons learnt with regard to the mangrove swamps. After lunch
set up under a cosy tree, Pak Su brought us to visit the floating chalets built
on Sungai Merbok. The chalets which are under construction will be opened
to the public once ready. The chalets, which overlook the magnificent and
serene river, is simply breathtaking for the locals and foreign tourists.
Our last stop before ending our day was visiting the Lata Tupah, a recreational park nearby Kampung Bujang. At the
waterfall, the kids especially seemed tireless and enjoyed every minute of splashing water with each other. Around
3:30pm, we headed back to Penang but still thinking of the beautiful experience we had at Kampung
Bujang. WCC is really grateful to Pak Su, Safwan and the rest for their warm hospitality and sincere reception. We
shall not forget this memorable experience and hope to come back to run our Bijak Itu Selamat programme soon.
Single mothers group progress
Last year, WCC conducted four sewing lessons producing “tote” bags to enable single mothers to acquire new
skills as a step towards financial independence. This activity prompted members of Soroptomist International
Penang to place an order for the single mothers to sew 100 bags for their environmental project.
Since then, there has been good progress from the single mothers’ themselves.
One has now become a trainer, teaching other women sewing skills in different
community colleges. She told WCC that she is now more self-motivated and
confident and her small sewing business and part-time teaching had significantly
improved her financial situation. She expressed hopes to help and repay WCC and
is now a volunteer and registered member!
The success of this training event has also been published in our newsletter and
through word of mouth from members and friends, individuals from different
agencies have approached WCC for these single mothers to sew bags. To date,
they have received several hundreds of orders for tote bags. Interest has been
expressed by local political service centres to have these single mothers sew bags
with recycle banners. Those interested, please contact WCC.
Visitor from EED
On 21 October, Ulrike Bergmann, Evangelischer Entwicklungsdienst (EED) representative, visited WCC with the
purpose to update and discuss further about EED-sponsored work. Cheng Kooi briefed Ulrike on WCC activities and
she was able to observe the conflict literacy programme being run in SJK Hamilton as well as the “Respect Respek”
workshop for school counselors. Cheng Kooi also took this opportunity to explore and discuss the possibility of
WCC’s future plans with EED. WCC would like to take this opportunity to thank EED for the support and trust
throughout all these years.
Maldives Study Tour
A group consist of 6 participants, staff of Department of
Gender & Family Services from Ministry of Health
& Family, Maldives came on a study tour to Malaysia from
10 to 23 November. Their visit was hosted by AWAM. The
Maldivians were here to learn the services available and
approaches used in Malaysia to combat violence against
women. They visited women NGOs and other NGOs in
Kuala Lumpur. On 18 November, they made a trip to
Penang to visit WCC and Women’s Welfare Council to
expose to women NGOs work in Penang. Cheng Kooi
shared with them the different areas of work in WCC and
encouraged them to take on similar work when they return
to Maldives.
Visitors from Thailand
WCC welcomed two Thailand lecturers, Siripan and Nawadee, from the Faculty of Social Administration, Thammasat University, on 26 November. They were here in Penang to participate in “University-Community Engagement for
Sustainability” conference organized by USM and took this opportunity to visit WCC. They were very impressed with
WCC works for women and children and very grateful to WCC for spending time to brief them on WCC’s work and
services.
New Publications
Respect Respek Manual is a handbook to work with young
people to help build negotiation skills, dispel misconceptions
about the opposite sex and raise the levels of gender awareness. Thus, it is for anyone who express their concern in helping young people work towards having healthier
relationships in their lives.
This manual is available for sale at RM20 per copy which
included a VCD Membina Perhubungan Mesra. Contact WCC
for purchase.
Teenage Relationship and Perhubungan antara
Remaja are WCC latest pamphlets specifically for
teenagers to explore whether the relationship that
they are in is healthy and what to do if it is not.
Nina and Her Secret is a
resource for educators to use
with children between the ages
of 8-12 years when working on
the issue of personal safety in
the context of preventing of child
sexual abuse.
This book is now available in
Tamil language and is sell at
WCC for RM8 per copy. It is also
available in English and Malay
languages.
Mengurus Wang Anda is a simple and easy handbook specially designed for single mothers and
women to help them to learn the importance of
budgeting and learning to save. It also contains
topics like steps on managing finances, how to
start and how to plan saving with your children. The
handbook ends with a monthly budget sheet for
reader to record their daily expenses.
WCC is selling this handbook at RM10 per copy.
WCC in the Press
Berita Harian
20 Oktober 2009
China Press 16 Nov 2009
Sin Chew Jit Poh 22 Dec 2009
News Straits Times 8 Dec 2009