NEWSLink - WCC Penang

Women’s Centre for Change
241 Jalan Burma
10350 Penang, Malaysia.
Tel: 04-228 0342
Fax: 04-228 5784
E-mail: wcc@wccpenang.org
NEWSLink
Pusat Perkhidmatan Wanita
Seberang Perai (PPW)
67A, Jalan Perai Jaya 4
13600 Prai, Penang.
Tel: 04-398 8340/41
E-mail: ppw@wccpenang.org
Quarterly Newsletter of Women’s Centre for Change, Penang
October — December 2013
www.wccpenang.org
Internal Circulation
were
such a great way for the
mothers and their children to interact
while at the same time de-stress, put
everything else aside and savour
some precious moments with their
loved ones.
After all the adventurous and exciting
games, the mothers and their children visited the Penang Butterfly
Farm. There, the families learned
about nature, bugs and butterflies. It
was a beautiful place filled with flowers, plants and butterflies flying
around. Some children enjoyed chasing after butterflies, while others
were amazed that they managed to
have butterflies rest on their hands.
This was the first time they experienced such close encounters with
butterflies and bugs.
Saturday, 14 December was a fun-filled and adventurous day for 21 families
from different races and backgrounds. WCC, PPW and Friends In Charity
jointly organized a Family Bonding Event for 21 single mothers and 46
children to enhance their family interaction at the Escape Theme Park and
Butterfly Farm in Teluk Bahang.
The day began at Escape Theme Park. Even before entering the theme
park, the children were jumping for joy with their eyes fixed on the people
who were in the midst of conquering the three-storey high ‘monkey business’ game. As soon as they entered, the mothers and children were thrilled
to see the variety of games available to them, including tubby racers, tots
trails, discovery digs, flying fox and so much more. These fun activities
It was indeed a day where laughter
was shared and good memories were
made. These fun activities were a
great opportunity to draw families
closer and imprint happy footprints
in their hearts. This was indeed a
dream for these low income families.
Much thanks to Friends in Charity,
Escape Theme Park and Penang Butterfly Farm which made this outing
possible.
“I am so happy that I was given the chance to participate in this event. This felt like a vacation for me and my children as I cannot afford to bring my children to such places” —Mdm Lim with two children
“This is so great! My children and I had a fun time ! We took so many pictures together!’ —Anne with two children
Happy New Year! May 2014 be a year of
triumph and good cheer!
And to our Chinese members and supporters
“Gong Xi Fa Chai”
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2
3
Community Nurses Training
On the 1 October, WCC held the second training for the
community nurses on ‘Handling Domestic Violence’ . 37
nurses, pharmacists and paramedics from the Timur
Laut district were in attendance. Topics covered at
the session included differences between gender and
sex, problems caused by gender inequality and its link to
violence against women and children.
Comments from participants:
Mengadakan program seperti ini dengan lebih kerap
untuk tingkatkan pengetahuan, satu program yang
baik, sangat bagus, teruskan lagi pada semua jabatan
kerajaan dan program seperti ini patut diteruskan.
Based on the feedback, the participants
learned a lot from the training. Most
importantly, they were awakened to
the fact that domestic violence is not a
private matter between husband and
wife – it is the responsibility of everyone to stand as one to stop violence
against women and
children. The
majority of participants found the
workshop to be informative.
Health Department Talk at Komtar
In conjunction with ‘Psychology Day’ on 17 October,
WCC staff Mangleswary and volunteer Rozie Tan were
invited to speak to 30 female staff from the Health
Department. The session started with the viewing of a
WCC video, followed by discussions on gender
stereotypes and linking those stereotypes to violence
against women. The talk then focused on domestic
violence (DV), types of DV, impact of violence on
victims and their children and why women often hesitate
to leave the violent home. To emphasize DV’s impact,
Rozie shared a case in which a victim is still traumatised
from a childhood incident that happened 20 years ago.
Talk at Bayan Baru Klinik Kesihatan
WCC held a talk on 24 October with 40 nurses at the
Bayan Baru Klinik Kesihatan. The talk focused on
WCC’s role and efforts as an NGO in dealing with domestic violence and children. The talk was conducted by
staff Tasha Merican together with volunteers Marie
Chee and Loo Mei Chien.
Prior to the talk, the participants were not aware of
WCC’S existence. After being shown WCC’s introductory videos and a few clips from the ‘Bijak Itu Selamat’
video featuring content on child sexual abuse prevention,
they understood the importance of their role in protecting the children around them so that they will not become
victims of abuse.
WCC held this talk on the invitation of Dr Tang
Wei Shuong, whom we met at a meeting at the
Balik Pulau Health Clinic last year. Since then,
Dr Tang has been referring clients and
following up on their welfare and progress.
WCC is thankful for Dr Tang’s continued support and look forward to building a stronger
working relationship in 2014, with more indepth training courses with nurses.
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Workshop in Johor
During the two days, participants examined the link
between gender and violence against women and
explored various issues of domestic violence, definition
of DV, its impact , difficulties women have leaving violent homes, and societal perceptions on DV. In the afternoon, participants learned about the rights of victims of
domestic violence, and how and where help can be accessed. On the second day, participants were given practical explanations of the protection available under
existing laws for victims of violence, and learned how
to get protection by applying the theories to real case
scenarios. There was also a brief discussion on contact
resources available in Johor.
JEWEL, (a Johor-Baru based NGO) together with WCC
co-organised a two day workshop on 16–17 November
entitled “Handling Domestic Violence Better”.
30
participants came from nine various Johor organisations, including Befrienders Johor Baru, Sentuhan Kasih
(PPP), and Sri Mahavishnu Fine Arts Society. WCC Program Consultant Dr Prema Devaraj and Advocacy
Officer Melissa Akhir were the trainers for the sessions.
The participants were eager to learn and asked many
incisive questions. Some asked for more workshops on
domestic violence and video clips to educate others on
the issue. The enthusiasm coming from the participants
and groups was heartwarming, and points were made on
the possibility of a coalition working towards addressing
violence against women in Johor.
Workshop in Perlis
WCC, working in collaboration with Yayasan Tuanku
Syed Putra Perlis, Pejabat Pembangunan Wanita Perlis
and University Malaysia Perlis (UniMAP), commemorated International Day for the Elimination of Violence
Against Women with a workshop on Domestic Violence
on 25 November at UniMAP.
With an attendance of about 100, participants were given
the chance to learn about domestic violence. The
presentation explained the definition of domestic violence, discussed statistics on the issue and the impact of
domestic violence, and debated common perceptions
which stop victims from seeking help.
among the participants that they did not know where the
shelters for women in need were in Perlis.
The WCC team would like to record our thanks to all our
co-organisers in helping to make the event a success. We
are especially grateful to HRH Tuanku Hajjah Lailatul
Shahreen Akasha Khalil Raja Puan Muda Perlis, without
whom this workshop would not have been possible.
The participants worked on case studies, which required
them to explore different ways in which victims could
access help as well as acknowledge the difficulties
victims face when accessing help. Participants received a
variety of material including pamphlets on domestic
violence, World Health Organisation handouts on violence against women and information on the Domestic
Violence Act (1994). However, there was some concerns
Mental Health Campaign
On 19 October the Mental Health Coalition Penang
organised the Voices for Mental Health event, which
was attended by 14 NGO’s representatives and supporters. The objective of the program is to increase the
awareness concerning the importance of mental health
and to reduce its stigma and prejudice among the public.
The fast-paced and stressful daily life that Malaysians
face is one of the contributing factors that can lead to
depression and suicide. The event discussed how mindfulness, which involves conscious awareness of one's
current thoughts, feelings, and surroundings, can aid in
reducing an individual’s levels of stress.
A walk from the Caring Complex to Youth Park was
scheduled in the afternoon. Due to heavy rain the walk
was rerouted, but this did not dampen the spirit of the
participants. One highlight of the event was “Voices in
Testimony”, who brought people suffering from mental
illness to open up about their lives to the public and
share their difficulties in living a normal life. “Mental
illness is like any other illness but it’s the stigmatization
that made it worse”, said one participant.
The program was an eye-opener for everyone that participated, and helped the public to better understand the
concept of mental illness and mental health.
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Parenting Workshop
For the first session, Min See discussed the behavioural
problems of young children and teenagers, and the
causes of conflict between them and their parents. She
then explained the needs of young children and
teenagers, which include unconditional love, care,
recognition, security and guidance from parents. Lastly,
she shared effective ways of communication between
parents and children. For the second session, participants were divided into three groups according to the
age of children, namely preschool, primary school and
secondary school students.
PPW organised a series of parenting workshop in
Mandarin conducted by Leong Min See, a Certified Play
Therapist. The parenting workshop was divided into two
half-day sessions on 28 September and 12 October 2013.
The first session was conducted at PPW office and was
attended by 54 participants. Due to the overwhelming
response, the second session was conducted at I Lohas
Enrichment Centre in Bukit Mertajam, which offered a
more spacious and comfortable place. The second session was attended by 38 participants.
In the groups, participants chose a scenario and did
role-play as parents, school teachers, and children.
During this session, Min See highlighted the effectiveness of good communication. Participants had fun during the session and learned practical ways of dealing
with their children’s behaviour. Most of the participants
found the two sessions informative with useful tips for
parenting their children.
After some brainstorming in groups, it was inspiring to
hear that some of the women are keen to start a
programme for children in 2014. They aimed to form a
small group and come up with a plan for the coming
year.
In-House Workshop: Enhancing Self Awareness
On 5 October, an in-house workshop on enhancing selfawareness was organized for WCC/PPW social workers
and volunteers, with a total of 21 people in attendance.
The trainer was Margarita Malayapillay, an experienced
counsellor from LPPKN. The focus of the training was to
address the importance of recognizing emotions and
thoughts of both client and counsellor during the
counselling sessions.
The trainer helped participants become aware of their
reactions towards impacting people and events. The
training explained how to understand the feelings and
emotions in managing a case, and how those feelings can
influence the helper and client. Each participant was
encouraged to share their experiences and the
difficulties in case management.
The workshop was very interactive; there were some
activities that encouraged the participants to share their
feelings and thoughts while the trainer guided the
participants to be aware of what is happening to
themselves. Margarita also explained how self-dialogue
helps in empowering oneself.
Throughout the activities, participants learned that selfempowering is important as a helper before helping others. It is normal to have different feelings and thoughts
in handling cases but the helper needs to be aware that
they should not impose their own feelings and thoughts
onto the client. Participants found the workshop useful
for counselling. WCC volunteer Wendy Ang expressed
that it helped her approach clients in a comfortable way,
without affecting by her own emotions.
Marriage and Divorce Talk
On 26 October 2013, a public talk on marriage and divorce proceedings was organised by WCC and attended by 36 people.
Many couples are unaware of their rights when it comes to
these important topics. The speaker, Lalitha Menon, a lawyer,
briefed participants on legal rights and explained in detail the
topics of wife and child maintenance, child custody and matrimonial assets.
During the session, participants were very responsive and eager
to learn, especially about maintenance and matrimonial assets.
After the talk, a mobile clinic was set up by Legal Aid Centre to
promote their legal services to the participants. Participants
hope that there will be more of such talks in the future.
6
Community Talks
On 17 November, WCC was invited by Persatuan Brahma
Kumaris Malaysia to deliver a talk on women’s empowerment. WCC staff spoke in Tamil about the importance of
women themselves taking some form of action to stop
violence when they experienced it. The talk
held in Jawi, was aimed at encouraging
women to seek help when facing violence
at home. A month later, we received a
call from one of the organizers seeking
advice on helping a domestic violence
victim who sought help from her.
Through our guidance, the organiser was
able to help the victim get an Interim Protection Order and to arrange shelter for her.
On 7 December, WCC also held a community talk at
the Sungai Pinang PPR flats. This program was organised by Soroptomist International Penang and
Penang Women Development Corporation (PWDC).
The focus of this event was understanding
one’s own expectations of their marriage
and spouse. It highlighted how to handle conflicts that arise when expectations are not met. The final message
conveyed was that it is normal to have
arguments in relationships but violence should never be seen as a solution.
If violence is used at home, the victim
should seek help.
The WOMB Seminar
On 30 November 2013 , the Women
and Baby (WOMB) seminar was
organised by the National Council
of
Women’s Organizations. The
speaker, Dr Mark Monina introduced the participants to the topics
on sexual reproductive health and
women's rights, unwanted pregnancies and contraception. He also emphasized that women should be given the right to make their own decision regarding their body as it is a
basic principal of human rights.
The consultant for the Ministry of
Health explained that abortion is
legal in Malaysia taking in consideration the medical condition of the
woman. Another speaker, Dr Chong
Sim Poey debunked a few myths on
abortions. There were mixed reactions from the participants, but
this was anticipated as abortion
and unwanted pregnancy are considered as taboo subjects in our society.
Feedback from Say Tee, PPW staff:
My prejudice against abortion on
religious grounds initially held me
back. Attending the seminar, however, actually relieved me from my
worry and directed me toward an
appropriate,
professional
approach to counselling clients
with
unwanted
pregnancy. One speaker
explained the two different
philosophies of abortion,
namely pro-life and
prochoice. People who hold the
pro-life
principle
are
against the idea of abortion.
On the other hand, people
who are pro-choice basically respect a person’s decision, be it to abort a child or
not. The different speakers
held different principles and
viewpoints, both pro-life or
pro-choice.
Upon reflecting on the various points of view, I recognised that the knowledge
gained from the seminar
was helpful for dealing with
clients with unwanted pregnancy (e.g. rape cases, underage pregnancy). After
all, I can still uphold the
principle of pro-life while at
the same time carry a prochoice approach to counselling my clients. I need to
carefully explore with clients the various
actions
which
could possibly be
considered
and
their ensuing consequences.
The
final
decision
would of course
lies with the client.
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Bijak Itu Selamat (Be Smart, Be Safe) Program
SK Sungai Gelugor
Program Bijak itu Selamat di SK Sungai Gelugor telah
menjadi program tahunan di sekolah tersebut. Pada 11
Oktober 2013, sekali lagi kami dijemput oleh Cikgu
Zubaidah Zakaria dari Unit Bimbingan dan Kaunseling.
Seramai 69 orang murid terlibat dan dibahagikan
kepada 2 sesi, sesi pertama dikendalikan oleh Pn Rozita
Abdul Rahim (sukarelawan WCC) dan sesi kedua di
diteruskan oleh pegawai PPW, Cik Muniroh.
Memandangkan ini kali pertama bagi kedua-dua
fasilitator, Pn Tasha juga turut hadir sebagai pemerhati
dan penilai dalam membantu fasilitator melaksanakan
program ini dengan jayanya.
Rasa nak buat lagi! Ini merupakan kerja penting
dalam memberi maklumat kepada kanak-kanak
mengenai penderaan seksual. Ia bukan satu kerja yang
mudah tetapi memerlukan usaha dan pengorbanan.
Yakinlah bahawa "sebaik-baik manusia adalah
manusia yang memberi manfaat kepada orang lain".
By Muniroh Yusoff
Hasil maklum balas dari pihak sekolah amat positif dan
program sebegini mampu mengajar murid-murid
mengenai sentuhan ok dan tak ok serta langkah dan tindakan sewajarnya boleh diambil sekiranya berlaku. Program ini juga menggunakan
medium yang lebih mudah difahami dan tidak membosankan murid.
SK Seri Permai
On 29 October, BIS program was conducted by teacher,
Pn Zauyiah Ibrahim from the Unit Bimbingan dan Kaunseling whom WCC trained in May 2012. Cikgu Zauyiah
conducted the session to all the standard 6 students in
her school. Cikgu Zauyiah felt that the program is useful
and important for her students as it creates awareness
regarding personal safety. The ‘Ok, Tak Ok’ session helps
her students evaluate if a touch is good or bad by using
their intuition and urges them not to keep a secret and
inform an adult if they are uncomfortable with someone’s
touch.
To Cikgu, thank you for your efforts and keep up the good
work! We hope you will continue reaching out to more
and more children in your school!
Sekolah Kebangsaan Balik Pulau
On 3 October, WCC’s Outreach Team was invited to SK
Balik Pulau to conduct the Bijak Itu Selamat, the child
sexual abuse prevention program. Outreach staff
Tasha Merican and WCC volunteers were well received
by the school principal, student affairs senior assistant
and counselling teacher.
During the session, the students actively participated
by giving examples of personal safety. They used red
cards and green cards to distinguish a good touch and
a bad touch. However, during another session conducted by Rosalind Lim, students were more reserved
and reluctant to speak up while in the full group. WCC
is thankful to Cikgu Sarima for the opportunity to
share this program with the students .
SK Khir Johari Seberang Perai
BIS program was conducted for 38 students from Standard Five and Six. Each activity ran successfully, and the
students were responsive and eager to share their experiences. We hope this program benefitted the children by
increasing their awareness on child sexual abuse and the
importance of personal safety. The program was carried
out by PPW staff Muniroh as facilitator and supported by
Kah Yen and volunteer Cheryl Tan.
“BIS is a good program which is very informative and
helpful in preventing sexual abuse against children.”
Pn. Munirah, school counselor
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Grace Assembly of God
Grace Assembly of God invited WCC on 9 November to
give a talk on BIS in Mandarin. Children aged 10–12
years attended the session, accompanied by their
parents. WCC volunteer Tang Kae Shih started the
session with a short introduction on the role of WCC,
followed by a song about ‘good touch and bad touch’. The
song taught the children about the differences of feelings
to help them differentiate between a good and a bad
touch. With the examples in a cartoon scenario and a
short discussion after showing two short movies of child
sexual abuse prevention, the children were trained to
inform an adult should abuse happen. Kae Shih found
that the children are less responsive in front of their
parents; so it is better to conduct the programs with the
children themselves.
The church pastor, Ms Fionn Ting Chong Hwa felt that
this was a useful program and would like to arrange
more sessions in the future for their teenagers on the
topic of “personal safety”.
Youth Programme
College Workshop @ Sentral
Tasha’s feedback: Alamak no electricity!! Yes, on the day
of our workshop which was held on 10 October, suddenly
the seminar room had a black out. But that did not
dampen our team spirit to continue with the workshop.
Though it was challenging with no microphones or
powerpoint slides, we proceeded to educate the students
on gender issues. Luckily our team members were swift
enough to think of creative ways to present the topic to
the students and have a discussion with them. The temperature of the room increased when the students started
to debate about the expectations of a partner during the
activity “My Ideal Partner”. The debate ended with the
agreement that basic human values are the most
important characteristics in the person you choose.
College Talk @ KDU
The Gender Sensitization talk was held at KDU Lecture
Hall on 16 October 2013, with 50 students from the
School of Mass Communication in attendance. Topics
covered included differences between gender and sex,
problems caused by gender inequality, and the link
between gender inequality and violence against women.
At the end of the event, WCC staff gave the students a
chance to evaluate the program as a whole.
Of the 50 participants present, 30 answered the questionnaires given. The survey found that students had
learnt from the workshop the difference in meaning
between gender and sex. Most participants began the
workshop with awareness that being in a relationship
does not stop a person from being good to others, and
finances or expenditures can also be shared.
Nonetheless, the participants found the workshop
useful, with 87% of students rating the program very
good or good. Participants developed a better understanding about the term ‘mutual relationship’ and found
the talk informative and interesting. The talk sparked
the spirit of equality among the participants who
acknowledged that there should be no more stereotyping
and discrimination in this new era. Some were keen to
learn more about WCC
Penang Chinese Girls School (Private)
Penang Chinese Girls School (Private) invited WCC on 14
November to give a talk on “ICT Be Savvy” in Mandarin
with the attendance of 50 students from Form 1 and
Form 2. WCC volunteers Tang Kae Shih and Ng Lee Y’ng
started the session with a short introduction on the role
of WCC followed by ‘Circle of Friendship’. It was emphasized by the facilitators that one needs to build trust
before becoming best friends with someone. Gaining
trust usually takes time, and it is important for young
people to recognize the process instead of jumping to a
conclusion about someone too hastily.
The session continued with a powerpoint presentation
about cases of teenagers being raped by internet ‘friends’
and common issues faced by teenagers when using Facebook and the internet. The facilitators reminded students not to hesitate to lodge a police report if they are
being manipulated by their internet friends. The program ended with a ‘Q & A’ session. The speakers answered questions posed by the students orally and in
writing. The students said that they felt happy and gave a
good response on the overall program.
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Researching Women and Society
social world have male-centric bias, but
suggested that this may be remedied by
turning the focus to women’s voices and
experiences. By doing this, the research
would be different in terms of the questions
asked and methods used, as would the
interpretations, analyses, and implications
drawn.
Four WCC & PPW staff attended a one-day workshop
organised by KANITA in collaboration with the Southeast Asian Association for Gender Studies Malaysia
Branch (SAMA) on Researching Women and Society
on 19 December 2013. The workshop was held to
promote the study of social structures, processes and
relationships through a gendered lens. The workshop
acknowledged that research and analyses done on the
Mentoring and Coaching Course
WCC Executive Director, Loh Cheng Kooi participated
in a five day course – 2-day Essential Mentoring Skills,
and 3-day Coaching for Breakthrough Success, on 15—19
November, sponsored by ITD World, a global institute of
training and development. The mentoring course was
conducted by Edwin Johnson, a master trainer, while the
coaching course was taught by Dr Peter Chee CEO of
ITD. The course taught participants about the importance of mentoring and coaching as a management
tool to bring out the best in a person’s development and
career growth. It also taught participants how to
mentor and coach a person to enable her to grow
personally and professionally. Cheng Kooi was deeply
impressed with the trainers and felt that she acquired
valuable skills and new knowledge that she can apply
towards improving the management of WCC. WCC is
grateful to ITD World for enabling Cheng Kooi to
participate in this professional course on a complimentary basis.
10
The sessions in the workshop aimed to help
participants understand how taking a
gendered approach to research would
enhance our understanding of how society
works. It also gave practical insights into
performing social research, and offered a
platform for discussion on issues such as:
What is gender? Why is gender an important
perspective in social research? Is researching women different? How do we use the gender lens in
research practice? and How do gender analyses lead to
change?
The methodologies and knowledge imparted in the
workshop were useful to the staff and will be a great help
for the research and analyses that WCC might take up in
the future.
Bengkel Keganasan Rumahtangga di SPU
Bengkel Menangani Keganasan Terhadap Wanita telah
dijalankan oleh Women’s Centre for Change (WCC), dan
PUSPANITA, Cawangan Seberang Perai Utara (SPU)
dengan kerjasama Pejabat Daerah & Tanah, Daerah SPU
pada Rabu, 11 Disember, di Pejabat Daerah & Tanah,
Daerah SPU.
WCC ingin mengucapkan terima kasih kepada Pihak
Pejabat Daerah & Tanah, Daerah Seberang Perai Utara
(SPU) dan PUSPANITA, Seberang Perai Utara khususnya Pn Hajah Saodah Haji Nawawi, Pegawai Daerah
SPU kerana sudi memberi persetujuan untuk mengadakan bengkel “Menangani Keganasan Rumah Tangga.”
Objektif bengkel ini adalah untuk meningkatkan
pengetahuan ahli-ahli PUSPANITA mengenai isuisu keganasan rumah tangga dan Akta Keganasan
Rumah Tangga di samping memperkasakan mereka dengan pengetahuan untuk mengendali kes-kes
sebegini. Seramai 41 peserta telah menyertai
bengkel ini.
Daripada keputusan penilaian, ramai peserta
mendapati bahawa sesi-sesi yang telah dijalankan
memberi manfaat dan mereka turut menyatakan
keinginan untuk bengkel seperti ini dijalankan untuk orang ramai.
Child Trauma Psychosocial Response Team Workshop
The Penang Child
Trauma Psychosocial Response
Team Workshop,
sponsored by B.
Braun for Children and the Penang State Government,
was
successfully conducted on 15–17 November at Sunway Hotel,
Georgetown. The workshop was an initiative that started
in response to the 2006 tsunami disaster in Malaysia.
Many people suffered from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) after the disaster and did not receive immediate help in handling the trauma.
On the last day child psychiatrist Dr Lai Fong Hwa and
psychologist, Dr. Lynn Yong conducted a role-play
session to allow the participants to practice the counselling techniques on how to deal with people in trauma.
Bee Yen and Christine found the workshop intensive but
interesting and useful. The training provided participants with a workbook on children and a manual to help
them practice their newly-learned techniques in their
work. The workshop was useful for staff’s work especially in dealing with domestic violence and sexual crime
victims in trauma.
This year (being the fourth year the training was held)
Dr. Frederick Toke, the President of Lee Community
College, Singapore, was invited to conduct the workshop. The three-day intensive workshop was attended by
80 participants from various agencies including the
Welfare Department, police, hospital, teachers and
NGOs. WCC’s social worker, Yeoh Bee Yen and volunteer
Christine Teoh participated in this workshop.
The workshop equipped participants with basic
knowledge and skills in handling trauma, especially
child psychological trauma. The sessions focused on the
definition and concept of trauma and how social factors
impact children’s response and behaviour in dealing
with stress and trauma. The SAFER Method, which
provides five approaches to dealing with people in
trauma, was introduced by Dr Fred.
11
In appreciation to PPW and WCC for running this project, the women of the WSP created their own butterflies, which they will sew into a quilt for the centre. The
13 women and facilitators also hand-crafted butterflies
which have been used to produce a 2014 calendar. The
proceeds generated from the sale of these calendars will
go to the Women’s Empowerment Fund used to help
women in need.
A booklet on the women’s’ stories is expected to be
published in early 2014. With the publishing of these
stories, we hope it will inspire more women to become stronger and more empowered.
The Women’s Stories Project (WSP) has finally come to
the end but it is a new beginning for the women who
took part in the project. The aim of this initiative was to
use storytelling-sharing-reflecting-writing as tools for
healing and fostering experiences of empowerment. A lot
of effort was put into helping women reflect and write
about their life experiences.
The final workshop was successfully conducted at PPW
on 1 December. All 13 women participated wholeheartedly in this workshop. Even though the project took
more than a year to complete, it has created a positive
impact in the women’s journeys towards empowerment.
The main focus of the first session for the day was for the
women to review their journey in the WSP individually
and as a group.
All women unanimously expressed that this project has
greatly benefited them, especially in self-discovery
through the charting of their ‘river of life’ from past experiences. They were finally able to express and
acknowledge the pain and hurt which they had buried
for so long. It was a great sight to see the women so radiant compared to their dispositions in the first workshop,
where most looked sad and teary. Some of the women
have even become PPW and WCC volunteers.
In the second session for the day, the focus was on the
women moving forward and continuing their journey of
growth. The aim was to encourage them to move beyond
themselves as a step forward towards fuller empowerment.
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“The
project
has
really
impacted me a lot. I no longer
ignore the problem that I face
but I learn to reflect and find
out the root cause of the
problem.”
“My relationship with my
children have changed and
become
like
friends.
My
children even advise their aunt
to go to PPW’s courses after
seeing my positive changes.”
“I realized that I have forgotten
to smile for many years. After I
join the project, I started to
Dialogue with NGOs
As the Exco for Women, Family and
Community Development, YB
Chong Eng took the opportunity to
understand the work of NGOs
related to her portfolio by holding
two separate dialogues: one for
women NGOs and another for
NGOs working with children. The
purpose of both dialogues was to
understand and appreciate the work
undertaken by Penang NGOs who
are involved with women and
children, get their feedback and
suggestions and improve networking amongst NGOs and government
agencies.
At the women NGOs dialogue held
on 26 October, the work of the
Penang
Women’s Development
Corporation (PWDC), a statesupported agency set up to
mainstream gender in Penang was
presented, followed by an overview
of the issues faced by Malaysian
women. At the workshop session, all
groups highlighted that safety and
violence (including snatch thieves,
robbery, domestic violence and
rape) were the most urgent issues
affecting people today. The presence
and effective role of the police is
much needed; this goes beyond the
Penang state and falls under the federal jurisdiction. WCC representatives Cheng Kooi, Kah Cheng, and
Mariam Lim participated and shared
WCC’s work in ending violence
against women and children.
The dialogue for NGOs working with
children on 7 December saw participation largely from children’s homes
and the various NGOs working with
the disabled. Each NGO presented
gave a brief introduction about their
work. The NGOs working with disabilities cited many challenges faced,
including the lack of financial support and resources such as trained
personnel and the lack of recognition
of disabled children in schools and
public areas. Several WCC staff including Cheng Kooi, Melissa, Hasanah and Bee Yen participated in
the dialogue. Both the dialogues ended with the call for the state to hold
such dialogues regularly to enable
NGOs to give feedback pertinent to
improving the situation of the vulnerable people in Penang.
IVAW Day in Penang
In Penang, MMK Women,
Family and Community
Development and Penang
Women’s
Development
Corporation with support
from women NGOs commemorated International
Day for the Elimination of
Violence Against Women
(IVAW) by drawing attention to the continued daily
violence such as domestic
violence, rape and sexual
harassment faced by women in our country. The
public event was held at
the
Concourse
Perangin Mall on 25
November.
YB
Chong Eng called for
abused women not to
keep quiet but to take
action to end their
woes.
Two
male
ADUNs YB Dr. Alif
Bahaudin, Exco for
Health and YB Teh
Lai Heng Komtar assemblyman turned up to lend
support.
Those present
were entertained by a
Bhangra troupe followed
by the carrying of placards
around the area to remind
people of their role to reduce violence in our society. WCC executive committee member Lim Kah
Cheng and past president
Mariam Lim together with
staff Cheng Kooi were present to give support.
Dialog Suara Anak Muda
Balik Pulau
Belia
merupakan
pemangkin pembangunan
sesebuah Negara. Sedar
akan hakikat ini pada 5
Oktober suatu dialog Suara
Anak Muda Balik Pulau
telah dijalankan oleh
MSNPP, MMK, PWDC &
Penang Institute bagi
mendengar suara anak muda tentang isu-isu yang
mereka hadapi terutamnya
di kawasan Balik Pulau
sendiri.
WCC staf Hasanah Akhir
telah mewakili pihak WCC
sebagai pemerhati bagi Dialog tersebut. Dialog tersebut memberi peluang kepada belia Balik Pulau untuk
membangkitkan isu-isu
yang effect mereka serta
menganalisis keperluan
meraka sebagai anak muda.
Majoriti anak muda sedar
akan masalah-masalah yang
menghantui mereka terutamanya dari segi perumahan
mampu milik, tempat
asuhan kanak-kanak, masalah kenderaan awam, peluang pekerjaan serta
inginkan kemudahan awam
seperti tempat beriadah di
kawasan Balik Pulau.
Hasanah dapati dialog seperti ini boleh dijadikan sebagai platform diantara
belia dan pihak kerajaan
Pulau Pinang dimana ia
menjadi ruang untuk pihak
kerajaan mendegar pendapat serta keluhan isu-isu
semasa dan membantu
mereka menangani isu-isu
tersebut.
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Charity Dinner Concert for WCC
Organised by Kwong Wah Yit Poh together with the
Datos’ and Datins’ in Penang and supported by MMK
Youth & Sports, Women, Family and Community Development, the Joyful Penang Concert dinner, held at
Equatorial Hotel on 15 November, was a night filled
with glitter and good entertainment. The 600-strong
crowd dined on an 8-course dinner and were serenaded by the Datos and Datins themselves, crooning evergreens, dancing rock and roll, and performing drama. Several Penang YBs also lent support by showing
their singing talents. The Charity Dinner raised a
whopping RM500,000 of which WCC benefitted
RM225,000.
Special thanks to WCC’s fundraising ambassador,
Datin Annie Chin, who was also the vice chairperson
of this Charity Dinner committee. She worked hard to
raise donations through table tickets sale and displayed her versatility in singing, dancing and acting
during the night.
Renew Your Membership Now!
The WCC General Committee has decided that the new membership fee will take effect after the Annual
General Meeting in March 2014. The new rates are: Annual Fee is RM30 and Life Membership is RM500.
For existing members, please renew your membership soonest. The current rates are: Annual Fee is RM12
per year and Life Membership is RM200
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Lobbying for better laws on women and children
The Joint Action Group for Gender Equaltiy (JAG)
coalition members had to rush and prepare two
documents – a Memorandum and Notice of Amendments to improve criminal laws (under the Penal Code
and the Criminal Procedure Code) related to sexual
crimes and domestic violence (amendments to these
laws). These amendments were suddenly presented at
Parliament without prior consultation with public
bodies. The JAG documents were then presented to the
Women Parliamentarians for Gender Caucus, namely
YBs Fuziah Saleh and Datuk Seri Azalina Othman
Said for follow up action.
Armed with the JAG documents, the Women
Parliamentarians for Gender Caucus, together with JAG representatives, held a meeting
with the Attorney General Office on 21 December to discuss how to better protect
women and children. The Attorney General,
Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail, had made a verbal
commitment towards open consultation on
such laws and will involve the Gender
Caucus, JAG, and the Malaysian Bar. Unfortunately the Penal Code and the Criminal
Procedure Code Bills were passed at the
House of Representatives (Dewan Rakyat),
despite the Attorney General’s agreement in
principle with around 60% of the amendments that JAG had proposed. The Attorney
General counter-proposed that the changes
to laws on domestic violence and sexual
crimes should be done via other legislations i.e. in a
more holistic discussion on all legislation affecting
women and children.
After the half-day meeting, WCC advocacy officer
Melissa Akhir together with other JAG members proceeded to Parliament for a Press Conference to call for
more consultations with the Members of Parliament,
relevant NGOs and the public, whenever laws that affect
women and children are being submitted to Parliament.
Dialog Berkenaan Advokasi Mangsa
Mangsa-mangsa keganasan seringkali memerlukan
sokongan yang berkesan, terutamanya mangsa wanita
dan kanak-kanak yang melalui kerumitan proses siasatan dan perbicaraan di mahkamah. Bagi menjana perbincangan progresif tentang aspek-aspek sokongan yang
diperlukan.
Pada 7 Disember 2013, Pihak WCC telah menganjurkan
suatu dialog tertutup yang dinamakan
‘Dialog berkenaan Advokasi Mangsa’.
Dialog ini telah melibatkan pihak-pihak
berkenaan
seperti
institusi-institusi
awam berkenaan, agensi-agensi penguatkuasaan dan pihak yang membantu
mangsa secara langsung. Seramai 15
orang wakil hadir dari institusi-institusi
dan agensi-agensi penguatkuasaan.
Tiga sesi telah diadakan yang meliputi aspek-aspek
maklumat tentang sokongan mangsa di dalam proses
perbicaraan di mahkamah, mengenalpasti aspek-aspek
sokongan yang wajar diperbaiki pelaksanaanya,dan cadangan
terhadap isu-isu berbangkit serta langkahlangkah penyelesaianya. Dialog ini akan diadakan 2 kali
setahun bagi menangani isu-isu semasa di dalam
sokongan mangsa di mahkamah.
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Watching Brief and Amicus Curiae Training
On 9 November, WCC organised a one-day training for
30 lawyers entitled Watching Brief and Amicus Curiae:
Advocating for Victims of Sexual and Gender Based
Violence. The trainers were Honey Tan, Edmond Bonn
and Mr Joshua Teh from LoyarBurok KL. The training
was held as often that in a criminal justice process, the
victim’s rights are not always taken into consideration. The main objective of the training was to
encourage lawyers to become watching brief
lawyers for victims of sexual crimes and represent his/her interests during the trial.
The training helped the lawyers to understand
the role and purpose of watching briefs and
amicus briefs. The trainers helped to clarify how
watching briefs function in advocating the
rights of victims of sexual crimes. Towards
the end of the training, WCC watching brief lawyers shared their experiences going through the
criminal justice process.
16
One of the watching brief lawyers said “Seeing the trauma that the victim felt and face during the trial makes
me realize how important my role was to be there for her
through her journey into seeking justice”. WCC received
positive feedback from the participants, who requested
for such training next year.
Once, after being hit by my husband, I made a
police report, but due to the urging of his
family, I withdrew it, despite knowing in my
heart that it was not fair. My husband had
become a hard-core drug addict, and was several times arrested and jailed – but ultimately was freed on bail by his family members. This kept me frustrated to no end and
put no fear in my husband as he was confident
he would eventually be bailed out every time
he was arrested.
Every woman dreams of running her own happy
family and has an ever lasting marriage. The
ties of a marriage built on the strength of
love should not be impeded by differences in
nationality as love is blind. Such my wish
when I married my Malaysian husband as I am
Indonesian.
After almost 12 years together, my husband
and I were blessed with a pair of twins, 9
years old, and a daughter 6 years old. My
children were raised to respect their parents
and be of good behavior. They were my jewels
and we were grateful for these blessings
showered by God.
We stayed in the family house that belonged
to my husband’s late father, along with other
members of his family. This arrangement made
me uncomfortable at times, and I often wish
that we had our own home.
My husband, a person I used to love and respect, has now become an object of my hate,
and respect is far from anything I feel for
him. After our twins were born, he started
hitting and assaulting me. Most of his free
time was spent with his friends, and he would
stay out till late into the night. If I were
to question his whereabouts, I would become
the subject of his anger.
On October 2013, over a trivial matter, he
hit my body and head, as well as my child who
tried to stop him. This time, my patience had
reached its limit, and I lodged a police report against him for hitting me and harming
my child and me. My husband was subsequently
arrested and remanded 5 days in jail. He was
charged, pleaded guilty and the fine was paid
off with the help of his family again. But
for me, there was no justice. Who was going
to guarantee my safety?
After lodging the police report, I decided to
free myself from this life of injustice and
torture. The police on duty referred me to
the Welfare Department (JKM) for temporary
shelter.
The JKM officer brought me to WCC for help.
My children and I stayed at the WCC Shelter
while the social worker counselled me and
also assisted with the renewal of my special
social pass as a foreign spouse. They also
faced a lot of harassment from my husband and
family members who wanted me to return to the
family.
Now, with the strength and support of my family from Indonesia, I am still in Malaysia
to continue to raise my children with love
and care. I have taken the brave step of
choosing to file for a divorce and am
fighting for the custody of my children.
Day after day, he became more and more distant with no signs of improvement. Worse yet,
he became a drug addict. He even made a room
in our house a place for him and his friends
to indulge in their addiction. Which wife’s
heart would not ache seeing such behaviour
from her husband? With nowhere to turn, his
family continually advised me to be Bersabar
‘Be patient…’ – a phrase that made me so angry at times. I dealt with the cost of raising my children with the earnings I was making from a women’s spa I work, which thankfully allowed me some independence. In this
way, I was able to support my family.
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