Newslink Oct-Dec 2009 arial 10
Transcription
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: [email protected] 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
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