Annual Review

Annual
Review
2014
Vision
WCC envisions an inclusive society free from gender violence
and discrimination, and where women can actualise their full
potential.
Mission
WCC is committed to:
• Eliminating violence against women
• Empowering women and children
• Promoting gender equality and social justice
Donation
WCC is a non-profit, tax-exempt organisation and welcomes
donations and sponsorships to support our work and activities.
Cheque to be made payable to:
Women’s Centre for Change or bank directly into:
CIMB Account No : 8601023057
Maybank Account No : 5070 6813 5616
Contact
Women’s Centre for Change (WCC)
241, Jalan Burma, 10350 Penang, Malaysia
Tel
: +604-228 0342
Fax : +604-228 5784
E-mail : [email protected]
Website : www.wccpenang.org
Facebook: WCC Penang
Pusat Perkhidmatan Wanita (PPW)
67A, Tingkat 1, Jalan Perai Jaya, 13600 Perai
Tel
: +604-398 8340
Fax : +604-398 8341
Email
: [email protected]
© 2015, Women’s Centre for Change, Penang
Designed by : Elaine Thniah, C-Square Bhd, Penang
Printed by : Phoenix Printers Sdn Bhd
CONTENT
2 President’s Foreword
Counselling 2014
8 WCC Services
10 PPW Services
11 Hospital Collaboration with WCC and PPW
13 Healing the Children
14 Service Training and Networking
Outreach 2014
18 Prevention of Child Sexual Abuse
19 Working with Youth
21 Community Talks
21 Children’s Programme
Advocacy 2014
22 Sexual Crimes Victims’ Rights
23 Training Stakeholders on Violence Against Women and Children
24 Legislative Reform
24 Dialogues and Meetings
24 Engaging with the Media
25 Agencies and Communities Awareness
Features
6 Hear Our Stories: The Moment the Butterfly Flaps its Wings
16 Client’s Story: I am Fighting to Rebuild Myself
20 Boyz Programme: Being Men
26 General Committee 2014,
Staff & Working Groups
Appreciation & Gratitude
29 Donors & Sponsors
30Volunteers
33 Partners & Supporting Agencies
President’s
Foreword 2014
Susan Siew
2
014 has been another remarkably successful
year for WCC. We look back with pride
and gratitude the tremendous amount
of critical and creative work accomplished by
our dedicated staff and volunteers. While the
organisation has expanded running two centres,
WCC and PPW (Pusat Perkhidmatan Wanita – a
women’s centre sponsored by the Penang state
government), it took time to consolidate some of
its key programmes.
The year saw a turning point for WCC in
many respects as we gained new grounds and
recognition in our advocacy work in legal reform,
produced an innovative programme specifically
for boys, and updated our well used training BIS
(Bijak Itu Selamat) video making it more attractive
and relevant to current realities.
Highlights for 2014
Training Prosecutors Nationwide
An important milestone is that WCC is now
recognised nationally for its training skills on
victims’ rights. WCC is now part of the National
Judicial and Legal Training Institute (ILKAP)
training schedule where we train prosecutors to
understand the rights of sexual crime witnesses
for court trials.
We re ac h e d a
With a growing staff of 17 persons and operating two
Counselling
Empowered 2,500 children
Gave talks to 2,648 people
Reached out to 823 youths
Trained 1,764 teachers,
medical and legal personnel
Through our sexual abuse
prevention programme so that
children learn to say no to bad
touches.
Outreach
Through our Respect and cyber
safety programmes so that the
young people learn about mutual
respect and the dangers of social
media violence.
Advocacy
2
Women’s Centre for Change, Penang
To raise public awareness on
issues of domestic violence and
sexual harassment to further
prevent gender violence in society.
To better understand sexual abuse
victims and their rights when the
victims access these agencies for
help.
President’s Foreword 2014
Strengthening Laws for
Women and Children
Another exciting development is WCC crucial
inputs on laws affecting women and children.
WCC is part of the Joint Action Group for
Gender Equality (JAG) which sits on the Working
Committee on Law Reform of the Attorney
General Chambers. JAG gave important inputs
on proposed amendments to the Domestic
Violence Act, Child Act, Penal Code, Evidence Act
and Criminal Procedure Code to ensure that such
changes will further improve the rights of women
and children.
Distinctive Services:
from Counselling to Court
WCC has developed a comprehensive system of
support where the client and her family members
are given emotional and legal support from the
process of investigation all the way to the court
trials. This unique service advocacy support
makes WCC possibly the only Malaysian NGO
that undertakes this depth of work.
Increasing Services
in Seberang Perai
With only six years into existence, Pusat
Perkhidmatan Wanita (PPW) in Seberang Prai
recorded an increase of 20% clients indicating
an urgent need for more services in mainland
Penang. With 16 community outreach activities,
the two staff achieved a remarkable feat. To cope
with the increased workload, two new staff were
recruited at the end of the year.
“
There were times when I
regretted being born. After
coming to WCC, I learnt to
respect myself. I learn what it
truly means to be a woman.
Domestic violence survivor,
32 year old
re cord in 2014 !
”
centres, WCC reached out to 7,735 people – a record number.
7,735 people
Annual Review 2014
3
Documenting Women’s Stories
WCC/PPW published the book Hear Our Stories,
which documented live stories of thirteen
women’s struggles and resilience. This book is the
outcome of a two-year Women’s Stories Project
of PPW and WCC where a series of workshops
were organised to empower past clients. The
book, available in English and Chinese languages,
and the first edition of 1,000 and 600 copies
were sold out within six months!
New Initiative for Teenage Boys
WCC has launched a new initiative Boyz
Programme for boys aged 15 to 17 years. By
working with young men, WCC aims to challenge
traditional ideas of being men and formulate new
ideas of masculinities and behaviours.
Working in the Best Interest
of Victims
By initiating the Penang interagency dialogue,
WCC was able to bring together six agencies
(court, prosecutors, police, welfare department,
hospital and lawyers) to engage how best to
work in the interest of sexual crime victims.
Held twice a year, these dialogues have enabled
stakeholders to improve on the workings of
their respective agencies towards ensuring that
vulnerable victims’ rights are upheld.
Developing New Resources
WCC signature Bijak Itu Selamat (BIS) child
sexual abuse prevention programme added a
new chapter with the production of a third new
video, Ok Tak Ok (Siri 3), to replace the 14 year old
version. It took a whole year of scripting, editing
and production. The final product is
now more exciting and
relevant to those who
use it as a training tool
to prevent child sexual
abuse.
4
Women’s Centre for Change, Penang
President’s Foreword 2014
ThankYou For Your Support
As always, we are deeply grateful to the many agencies who recognise the tremendous work that we
undertake to end violence against women and children. Thank you to our funders, donors and the
many individuals who made our work in 2014 happen:
Brot fur
die Welt –
Evangelischer
Entwicklungsdienst for
their ceaseless support
of our core work and
administration.
MMK Women,
Family and
Community
Development
of Penang for
supporting the PPW
operations.
High Commission
of Canada, Malaysia
through its Canada Fund for Local
Initiatives which enabled WCC
to train court interpreters, a rape
survivor network and the production
of a video on Surviving Court.
• To the Neoh Foundation for their continuous support.
• Special thanks to our fundraising ambassador, Datin Annie Chin who
helped organised the Penang Joyful Charity Concert where WCC was
a named beneficiary.
• To the many individuals who donated regularly and generously – thank
you to each one of you who made a difference to our work.
• To the General Committee, WCC Executive Director, her dedicated
staff and volunteers who continue to work for the cause of ending
violence against women and children, and promoting gender equality.
Annual Review 2014
5
Hear Our
Stories:
The Moment The Butterfly
Flaps Its Wings
**The publication Hear Our Stories: The
Moment The Butterfly Flaps Its Wings is a
riveting collection of 13 ordinary women’s lived
experiences of silenced, suppressed pain and
unspeakable thoughts. This publication is a
product of the Women’s Stories Project (WSP),
a joint project of WCC and PPW where these
women (first-time authors) were facilitated to
reflect on and write their personal stories of
struggle and recovery. Story-telling-sharingreflecting-writing was used as a space to unearth
and heal unexplored trauma.
These stories describe painful moments of
childhood abuse, mental deprivation, marital
conflict, divorce and even violence.
For most of the women, childhood
was a traumatic, even tortuous time.
Many had to take on adult household
chores before and after school,
some had to work to supplement
meagre family incomes. While other
more fortunate children enjoyed
school holidays, they had to take on
odd jobs. Thus, childhood was lost
in the enforced and unnatural need
to be mature and strong too soon.
As Rainy Day, puts it, “I really want
to tell other people that I actually am
not capable, but the environment
I grew up in forced me to learn to
solve problems” (page 58).
6
Women’s Centre for Change, Penang
Many of the stories tell of childhood
loneliness, of love not found, and their desperate
search for love which resulted in quick marriages
and more abuse. One of the key objectives of the
WSP is to encourage and support the women heal
from their woundedness, reclaim and redefine
their subjectivities, identities and capacities.
The various workshops, small group sessions
and individual consultations enabled the women
understand their tribulations and recognise their
strength. Cheng writes, “To write about the pain
inside my heart was a great challenge to me …
After crying for three days and three nights, I took
courage to face the truth and convinced myself that
the past was not shameful. There is
still a long road ahead and I
have to walk forward bravely”
(page 13).
After crying for
three days and
three nights, I
took courage to
face the truth.
”
Cheng
Features
The healing reconstituted self then began
to acknowledge and take responsibility for past
behaviour and mistakes. Through this process,
the women learn the challenge of seeing other
people’s viewpoints including those of their
husbands - men whom they have divorced or
separated. They learn new ways of dealing with
traditionally and culturally ingrained expectations
and roles for women.
Self-love and self-confidence begins to
replace an inferiority complex and self-loathing.
Hui Ming wrote, “I finally understood that before I
love anybody I need to love myself…I also see that
it is not easy to change others. In fact the only thing
which can be changed is myself” (page 6).
An inspiring outcome is that some of the
women have begun to volunteer with WCC and
PPW. With new-found confidence, several seek
to better their finances and even learn about
budgeting. With increased self-esteem, they
also participated in various public events to raise
awareness about women’s situation.
Another significant contribution of this book
is the description of the various workshops
and how they were conducted. Facilitators
helped to birth the writing process through a
variety of evocative arts-based methods. Before
putting pen to paper, drawings, clay-work and
other engaging participatory activities enabled
the women to recall and express themselves.
These creative efforts like drawings of the
women’s self-portraits, mandalas, photos
of butterflies crafted to signify the
writers own metamorphosis grace
the book beautifully.
This publication at RM20
only, is available in Chinese
and English at WCC and
PPW. Sale of the publication,
together with the sale
of 2013 and 2014 WSP
calendars has generated
more
than
RM50,000
for the WCC’s Women’s
Empowerment Fund.
I finally understood that
before I love anybody
I need to love myself…
Hui Ming
WCC is deeply grateful to Dr Chan Lean Heng
and Dr Molly Lee, the facilitators and drivers
of the project. For more than two years, they
worked passionately and dedicated themselves
to the successful implementation of the Women’
Stories Project, as well as the publication of this
book.
**Extracts taken from Wong Soak Koon’s review. See
http://aliran.com/web-specials/2015-web-specials/hearour-stories-the-moment-the-butterfly-flaps-its-wings/
for the full text.
Annual Review 2014
7
Counselling 2014
O
verall the two centres, WCC and PPW
handled a total of 524 new clients.
Out of these, domestic violence cases
and sexual violence (rape, sexual harassment,
child sexual abuse) constitute about 50% of
our counselling cases. Similarly, the telephone
counselling clients are also mainly from these
types of cases. This means that social workers
and service volunteers constantly need training
like case management, to deal with such serious
cases effectively. Below are the detailed reports
of our service work.
WCC Services
Yeoh Bee Yen, Tasha Merican,
Mangleswary Subramaniam, Jolene Tan,
Laika Jumabhoy & Nurul Bahirah Ilias
In 2014, a key focus of service was to increase
follow-up support to clients who were victims
of domestic violence and sexual assault, in
particular improving the quality and consistency
of counseling and legal support provided.
Face to Face Counselling
66
Former
Clients
328
New Clients
WCC gave counselling to a total of 394 clients in
2014 of which 328 were new clients as shown
above. The number of clients handled were
almost the same as in 2013. Out of this, a total
of 706 counselling sessions were provided for
the new and former clients.
8
Women’s Centre for Change, Penang
Types of Cases
Domestic Violence
37%
Marital Problems
25%
*Sexual Assault
Child Sexual Abuse
9%
3%
Legal Information/Advice
8%
Relationship Issues
7%
Information Seeking
7%
Others
4%
*Rape, Molestation, Sodomy,
Sexual Harassment
Domestic violence continued to dominate the
work of WCC as seen above. Most of our clients
were referred by their friends or relatives (31%)
and the hospitals (16%). Out of the 122 domestic
violence cases handled, only 29% of victims (35
cases) had lodged police reports before coming
to WCC, indicating poor public awareness that
domestic violence is a crime.
Similar to last year, marital problems
represented the second largest number of
cases handled by WCC (25%). Many of these
were extramarital affairs and communication
difficulties, which frequently resulted in marital
breakdown and divorce.
The number of child sexual abuse cases
handled decreased dramatically, from 27 in
2013 to nine in 2014. Notwithstanding, WCC
sees an urgent need to support the recovery
of children and their parents who suffer severe
psychological trauma, not only as a direct result
of the abuse, but also due to the lengthy and
tedious investigation process following the
traumatic incident. WCC has a part-time play
therapist to support the healing process of child
victims. In 2014, five clients had play therapy
sessions while their parents were counseled by
social workers.
Counselling 2014
Telephone Counselling
46%
Domestic Violence
14%
Marital Problems
5%
*Sexual Assault
13%
Child Sexual Abuse
8%
Legal Information/Advice
5%
Relationship Issues
8%
Information Seeking
Others
*Rape, Molestation, Sodomy,
Sexual Harassment
1%
In 2014, WCC handled a total of 1,271
telephone clients: 492 new calls, 779 followup calls. Majority of the new calls were related
to domestic violence (37%), followed by marital
issues (22%). In terms of follow-up calls, the
largest number were domestic violence (44%),
followed by child sexual abuse (30%). These
domestic violence and child sexual abuse cases
required service advocacy assistance in liaising
with agencies and provision of court support.
Shelter
Our shelter service continued to
extend to migrant workers who
suffered violations by employers, as up until
now there was no shelter in Penang for them.
WCC sheltered a total of 12 migrant workers, 7
domestic violence victims with 7 children. Upon
leaving the shelter, these domestic violence
clients chose to start life anew, they went on
to stay with their family members or in low cost
housing.
Email Counselling
‘‘
WCC received 59 emails in 2014, a
decrease of 27% compared to 2013
(81 emails). Most of the emails pertained to
divorce proceedings (19%), followed by domestic
violence queries (12%) and marital issues (10%).
The remaing emails were about family problems
and enquiries of services provided by other
agencies.
For many years, I struggled to deal with my husband’s
anger and abuse. WCC helped me find my backbone
and see that my husband was not willing to change.
It put me on a path to change myself.
Domestic violence survivor, 53 year old
’’
Annual Review 2014
9
PPW Services
Types of Cases
By Ooi Say Tee, Muniroh Mohd Yusoff,
Elaine Ong & Dharma Arjunan
Domestic Violence
35%
Marital Problems
PPW’s services saw expansion of work areas
such as providing services for domestic violence
and sexually abused clients and service outreach
program. We saw an increase in the number
of face-to-face counselling. However, due to
limited manpower that resulted in a decrease in
telephone counselling sessions.
Our public talks on empowering women
on their rights were successfully carried out
through collaboration with local ADUNs (state
assembly members). Additionally, PPW worked
to strengthen its relationship with the One Stop
Crisis Centre (OSCC) Hospital Seberang Jaya
and the referral of domestic violence and sexual
assault cases were slightly increased in year
2014.
Face-to-face Counselling
42
Former
Clients
31%
*Sexual Assault
5%
Child Sexual Abuse
4%
Legal Information/Advice
5%
Relationship Issues
14%
Information Seeking
Others
5%
1%
*Rape, Molestation, Sodomy,
Sexual Harassment
The above shows domestic violence as the
highest number of cases handled (35%), followed
by marital problems (31%) and relationship issues
(14%). Though the percentage of domestic
violence remained the same, cases like marital
problems increased by 4% compared to 2013. As
a result, staff gained more experience in handling
such cases.
For rape/incest cases, there was an increase
compared to 2013. For example, eight rape/
incest cases were handled by PPW compared to
only four cases in 2013.
196
New Clients
In 2014, PPW attended to 196 new clients, a
20% increase compared to 2013. Overall, 418
counselling and follow-up sessions were done.
As shown above, PPW handled 196 new clients
and 42 former clients.
‘‘
’’
This is not a matter of the number of times that he
does this to me, even if he did it only once or twice,
the hurt is extremely deep.
10
Puan NS age 35, separated, with 5 children
Women’s Centre for Change, Penang
Counselling 2014
Telephone Counselling
Domestic Violence
28%
Marital Problems
16%
*Sexual Assault
9%
Child Sexual Abuse
13%
Legal Information/Advice
Relationship Issues
8%
3%
Information Seeking
Others
14%
9%
PPW received a total of 1,220 calls in 2014,
of which 452 were new calls and 768 were
follow-up calls. This showed a decrease of
10% compared to 2013 as there were only
two staff handling the workload until the year
end recruitment. Significantly, there were many
calls made to follow up domestic violence and
especially sexual violence cases.
Domestic
violence and marital problems are still the top
issues among the callers.
*Rape, Molestation, Sodomy,
Sexual Harassment
Hospital Collaboration
with WCC and PPW
WCC and PPW continued our good working
relationship with the special unit called OneStop Crisis Centre (OSCC) at both Hospital
Pulau Pinang (HPP) on the island and Hospital
Seberang Jaya (HSJ) in mainland Penang whereby
upon consent, victims of sexual assault and
domestic violence are referred to WCC and PPW
respectively for emotional support. This added
support meant that victims receive help from our
Centres and follow through support services.
He does not know the pain a
father feels when he sexually
abused my daughter, not his
own flesh and blood that is why
he does not feel the pain.
Mr. Yu, a child victim’s father
Annual Review 2014
11
Counselling Hospital
Pulau Pinang Cases
Counselling Hospital
Seberang Jaya Cases
Cases Referred and Handled by WCC
Cases Referred and Handled by PPW
117
Referrals from
OSCC-HPP
89
Clients Handled
by WCC
Referrals from
OSCC-HSJ
99
77
Clients Handled
by PPW
55
44
Domestic Violence
Sexual Violence
This is the sixth year of WCC and One Stop Crisis
Centre HPP collaboration. In 2014, there was a
13% drop in the numbers of cases in OSCC-HPP.
As a result, OSCC-HPP referred only 161 cases
to WCC compared to 198 cases to 2013.
In 2014, WCC saw 89 domestic violence
cases and 40 sexual assault cases. The majority
of the domestic violence victims seen are adult
women, whereas the sexual assault survivors
tend to be children i.e., below 18 years of age. It remains a concern to us that adult survivors of
sexual assault are not accessing services at the
hospital.
Our support to survivors is mainly through
telephone counselling (92) and face to face
counselling (37). Many of the survivors referred
to WCC were discharged from the hospital
before staff could visit them in the hospital.
Once discharged, getting them to come to WCC
or meeting up with them face to face is difficult.
Hence most of the support is done through
telephone counselling. Other forms of support
include supporting them through court trials or
referrals to a play therapist.
12
Women’s Centre for Change, Penang
43
40
Domestic Violence
Sexual Violence
This is the third year of collaboration with
OSCC-HSJ. Overall there was an overall
increase of 8% referral to PPW for emotional
support of domestic violence and sexual
violence cases. Importantly, the improved
networking with HSJ meant that upon consent
of the client, HSJ were able to refer 75% of
domestic violence and 42% of sexual violence
cases to PPW. PPW hopes to improve our
liaison with OSCC Hospital Seberang Jaya
further.
I realise that after
this (sodomy) incident
happened that it is
important to listen to my
kids, and not to dismiss
kid’s talk as nonsense.
Puan S, mother of a 8 year old
sodomised son
Counselling 2014
Healing the Children
Birds fly, fish swim
and children play.
Dr Gary Landreth
After handling so many child sexual abuse cases
in 2013, we realised that child victims who often
suffer from severe trauma remain unhelped.
As children often lack the inner resources to
express their trauma, it often manifests in
other forms particularly a change in behaviour –
being withdrawn, silent, angry, bed wetting, etc.
Providing therapy to these children is essential as
it helps the child to heal, recover and resume
normal lives. WCC has responded by providing
these children with creative arts therapy .
In 2014, both WCC and PPW respectively
engaged part-time play therapists to help
sexually abused children, and sometimes their
parents, who have also suffered trauma. The two
therapists have since provided a total of 276
sessions for children and their families. The role
of a play therapist is to first work to get the child
to release feelings hidden deep inside because
of his or her traumatic experience. This is where
the healing begins. As the emotional recovery is
intense, the therapist needs to gain the trust of
the child client and ensure that the environment
for recovery is safe and nurturing. Healing takes
many sessions - sometimes 30 sessions or more
depending on the needs of each child. It is labour
intensive work but in the end, the goal of giving
back the child his/her childhood and the sense
of security is worth all the effort.
WCC continues to look for sponsors willing
to support play therapy for our child victims.
‘‘
Where play is children’s
natural form of language,
toys are their words.
It is through play that children
make connection between
themselves and the world.
Christine, play therapist
Annual Review 2014
13
SERVICE TRAINING
AND NETWORKING
Training Community Nurses
Many survivors of domestic violence may not be
able to access help at Hospitals but may seek
help at district health clinics (klinik kesihatan).
Therefore, WCC felt it was vital that nurses
stationed at these community health clinics are
equipped with sufficient awareness on domestic
violence so as to detect survivors of violence by
providing information where they can go for help.
In 2014, WCC organised three workshops
and trained 97 nurses in Barat Daya and
Seberang Perai Selatan districts. This is part of
our three year plan to train community nurses in
the five districts in Penang state. So far, we have
trained more than 200 community nurses in 3
districts. The responses were overwhelming and
there have been numerous requests for more
training. WCC will continue this work in the
remaining two districts; Seberang Perai Timur
and Seberang Perai Selatan in 2015.
Training Medical Personnel
Annually WCC gives lectures on domestic
violence issues to medical and nursing students
from Penang Medical College and Lam Wah Ee
Nursing College as part of their medical training
on dealing with survivors of violence. We were
also invited by Universiti Sains Malaysia as guest
lecturer on this similar issue to raise awareness
to students of the Family Sociology class. WCC
gave awareness to a total 173 students on
domestic violence and how to handle abused
women sensitively.
14
Women’s Centre for Change, Penang
Training OSCC Nurses
In November, WCC organised a training
workshop for 28 nurses from One Stop Crisis
Centre (OSCC) of seven hospitals (main and
district) in Penang and Kedah. This is the first
time we expanded our invitation to Alor Setar
Hospital. The focus of the training is to raise
awareness on the gender based violence and
to improve services when handling victims of
domestic violence and sexual violence at OSCC.
OSCC Interagency Meeting
Hospital Pulau Pinang coordinates the twice
yearly interagency meeting on OSCC workings.
In 2014 it was held in May and November. The
purpose of the meeting is to bring together
enforcement agencies (medical, welfare, police)
together with WCC to discuss cases and referrals
of domestic violence and sexual violence cases
and on how to work effectively in providing
better services to the victims. Such meetings
enable agencies to come together and advocate
for improved victims’ care.
Counselling 2014
the issues surrounding rape, the survivor’s
support network, how to interact with survivors
sensitively and how to support when the cases go
to court. Participants visited the court and OSCC
Hospital Pulau Pinang to better understand the
processes the survivors have to go through. This
training benefited about 20 staff and volunteers. At the end of the training, WCC was able to
recruit five volunteers for court support work.
Case Management
Training Service Volunteers
This year WCC again organised a 10-session
service training to equip new staff and volunteers
with the knowledge and skills necessary to support
victims of sexual and domestic violence, as well
as to recruit new service volunteers. There were
10 sessions which began in February and ended
in April, attended by 25 staff and volunteers.
After the training, five volunteers were selected
and underwent a three month period where
they were trained on answering phone calls,
handing referrals from hospitals and developed
familiarity with WCC’s counselling protocols.
These service volunteers played an important
role to follow-up phone calls for OSCC referrals.
As part of skills enhancement for social workers
and service volunteers, weekly case management
sessions were held, facilitated by former WCC
service coordinator, Annie Yeap. The aim was
to learn skills in handling challenging clients
or situations, and to improve counselling skills.
At each session, case presentations, group
discussions and role-play were held. The service
staff and volunteers found these sessions useful
and applicable.
Training On Supporting
Rape Survivors
In December, WCC organised a rape support
training for staff and volunteers. This training
aimed to create sensitivity and empathy for
rape survivors and strengthen the handling of
sexual violence cases. Participants learnt about
Change is Possible
Changing the lives of women and children through:
• Providing critical counselling services.
• Giving emotional support to domestic violence and sexual violence
cases at hospitals.
• Equipping medical personnel’s knowledge and skills to handle sexual
crimes cases better.
Annual Review 2014
15
Client’s Story:
I am fighting to rebuild myself
Gie (pen name), 35 years old, survivor of domestic violence
T
he scars of what happened to me are
etched on my body and in my memory.
It still hurts to look back or talk about it,
but I am fighting. I am fighting to rebuild
myself and to make a life I can be proud of. I
used to be a girl who couldn’t even take the bus
alone. Now, I own and run a beauty and bridal
services parlour. I have come very far, yes, but I
have lost a lot too.
Mine was a ‘semi arranged’ marriage. My
family is a traditional one, so I got to know my
husband by chatting on the phone only. Soon
after being introduced to my husband, marriage
was proposed and my parents accepted the
proposal. However, my Dad later advised me
against marrying my husband because he was
“not a good person.” As we were already in love,
I paid those warning sirens no heed.
I was 18 years old when we got married in
1998. A week into the marriage my husband
began beating me. He would get upset over the
smallest of things, like lunch not being ready
when he wanted it or household chores not done
to his liking. I was always at fault. Whenever he
was angry or upset, an argument would ensue
which would lead to violence. After the first
beating, he fell at my feet, wept and begged
for forgiveness. We were newly married and
I didn’t want to make a big deal out of it so I
put it down to stress. We were living with my
parents but I didn’t tell them because I wanted
to resolve matters ourselves. When questioned
about the bruises on my arms, I blamed it on my
carelessness.
In 1999, I gave birth to my first child.
Arguments continued to occur once or twice
a week. My husband was a jealous man and
frequently accused me of cheating on him. It
16
Women’s Centre for Change, Penang
took very little to set my husband off and he
would punch and slap me during arguments. His
blows befell my whole body - arms, legs, stomach
and even my face would be adorned with ugly
swollen blue-black bruises. After each incident
of violence, my husband would cry and beg to be
forgiven. He would tell me how much he loved
me and that he didn’t mean to hurt me. I endured
the violence because I loved him. I kept praying
to God, hoping that my husband would repent
and change. I felt I couldn’t tell my parents
because I had not heeded my Dad’s advice. In 2000, following a work dispute, my husband
stopped working at my family’s restaurant, and
we moved out of my parent’s home. Over the
years, my husband tried to start many businesses
but failed. Often, we were unable to pay rent and
would be forced to move. Sometimes we moved
as often as 5 or 6 times a year. Instead of working
harder, my ex-husband turned to alcohol. In
order to make ends meet I had to pawn my gold
jewellery. When I refused, he would beat me. Slapping, punching and pulling my hair was
not all my husband inflicted on me. He hit me
numerous times with objects – a motorbike
helmet, mop and hammer. Once, he threw a
knife at my foot and I had to get three stitches.
However, what truly cut me deeply were his
words- the dirty derogatory words that he would
hurl at me. Though at times my husband was
good to the children, he often screamed and
threw things at them when they were “too noisy.”
I wanted to keep the family together. I also didn’t
know what else to do at the time, and didn’t have
friends to confide in. When things got too much,
once, I tried leaving the house but, to no effect.
By 2008, I had two sons and a daughter. My
husband’s business efforts began to bear fruit.
Features
He began frequenting pubs and clubs and started
spending less time at home. Soon, I began hearing
gossip – my husband was “going around” with
another woman. I felt disgust at a man who could
betray me when the “sun began to shine” after
all I had gone through for him. He denied having
an affair and advised me to turn a deaf ear to the
rumours. I left the house with my sons and went
to my Mum’s. I asked my husband many times to
admit to his wrongdoings in the presence of my
parents so that we could rebuild our relationship,
but he refused and continued denying the affair.
One day, a squabble broke out and my husband’s
brother used foul language on my Mum. I was
so incensed that I made my first police report
about the domestic violence and the fight. When
my husband found out, the hostility between us
worsened.
‘‘
I endured the violence because
I loved him. I kept praying to
God, hoping that my husband
would repent and change.
’’
Even though my husband was neither a good
husband nor father, at that time I could not let
him go. For the two months that I was at my
parents’, I was miserable. I missed my husband
and daughter terribly. Seeing my unhappiness,
my family suggested that I return to my husband.
He did not accept me back graciously, and
instead imposed cruel conditions. I foolishly
accepted thinking that I could guide him back
onto the “right path.”
Upon moving back, my husband blackmailed
me, saying that if I wanted to see my daughter, I
would have to give him all the jewellery I had. I
fought with my Mum to obtain the jewellery and
gave it to him. I found out later that he pawned
the jewellery to be able to secretly wed the
“other woman”. My husband never admitted to
the second marriage or to having a child with his
second wife.
The more I reflected, the angrier I got. I
could finally see clearly. My husband was never
going to change. It was I who had to change my
mindset and turn my life around. I made a big
decision – I was going to live my life on my own
terms, and not on my husband’s. I would choose
not to miss him, not to care or listen to him. I
gained strength by confiding in my neighbours. My husband was spending large amounts of time
with his “other” family, and so was rarely home.
Although infrequent, the arguments and violence
continued. I focused on carving my own life.
In 2009 I filed for divorce in the Syariah
court. Without his knowledge I lodged police
reports detailing the incidents of violence. I
became increasingly independent. I worked for
my Dad while taking a course in beautification.
I also started driving. My husband refused to
divorce me. He promised to take care of me and
gave me a car.
In 2011, one day, while using my car, a friend
of mine had an accident. I told my husband about
the accident and we argued. He then turned up
at the house, beat me using a slipper and banged
my head against a wall, all in front my children.
I was in agony and had to go to the hospital. I
could no longer forgive my husband. A friend of
mine referred me to WCC, where she said I could
get help.
WCC has been a tremendous source of
motivation, support and guidance. The social
worker helped me to apply for an Interim
Protection Order (IPO), while my husband was
being investigated for domestic violence. She
also helped me obtain a Protection Order (PO)
once investigations were over. My husband
was charged, but acquitted due to insufficient
evidence. The WCC team supported me through
the court process, and despite the setback, is still
supporting with me. I am currently in the process
of appealing the acquittal.
Devastatingly, in 2012, my husband took
my children away from me. I tried to get them
back through peaceful means but was unable to.
However, I am hopeful that I will. Last year, my
divorce finally came through. Now, I am focused
on making my two-year old business flourish,
so that hopefully one day, my children shall see
what I have built for them and myself.
Annual Review 2014
17
Outreach 2014
Tasha Merican, Mangleswary Subramaniam, Prema
Devaraj & Karthiges Rajamanickam
O
ur outreach work allows us to reach out to people of various ages in the different sectors
of communities through empowerment, violence prevention programmes and awareness
activities. Access to such information can empower these people to prevent and put an end to
violence in their lives or the lives of others.
Prevention of Child Sexual Abuse
Empower children to say no to bad
touch through our Bijak Itu Selamat
programme in schools.
Community Talks
Raise awareness on issues of
gender violence in the various
communities.
Boyz Programme
A new initiative to increase
boys awareness to challenge
masculinity.
Working with Women
Train women leaders in the
communities to understand their
rights so that they can help others.
Working with Youth
Educate young people on the
importance of respect and cyber
safety to build violence free
practices.
Working with Children
Another new initiative aimed to
build confidence and self esteem
for our clients’ children.
Prevention of Child Sexual Abuse
• Working with Children: Our signature child sexual abuse prevention programme Bijak Itu Selamat
(BIS - Be Smart, Be Safe) running for 15 years continues to be in popular demand. This year, we
reached to a total of 2,501 children in 25 schools in Penang and children’s homes. PPW was able
to train new volunteers and ran BIS program for 1,500 children in mainland Penang. To date, BIS
programme has reached 89 out of 271 primary schools in Penang.
18
Women’s Centre for Change, Penang
Outreach 2014
• Trainings: WCC continued to train teachers
on how to conduct the BIS programme to
increase our outreach to children. In our ninth
collaboration with Perak Women for Women
and the Perak Education Department, WCC
trained 113 teachers on how to implement
the BIS programme in their schools. Thus
far WCC has successfully covered 9 out of
11 districts in Perak. We also trained 35
volunteers in Penang to be facilitators for this
programme.
• Pre-school teachers: Given the high number
of sexual abuse cases among young children, Persatuan Guru Tadika Tamil invited WCC to
train 50 pre-school teachers. A workshop was
held to educate teachers to identify potential
signs of sexual abuse, how to recognise when
children disclose their sexual abuse and what
steps to take to protect the children.
• New DVD Ok Tak Ok: After nearly 15 years,
our interactive video OK Tak OK which
teaches children about good and bad touches
was finally updated with the production of a
new DVD. Making it relevant to the current
child sexual abuse cases, the new product
which will be launched in 2015.
• Publication: Through the Malar Project, WCC
was able to update, reprint and translate our
book Nina and Her Secret and pamphlet Let’s
Talk About It into Tamil to enable us to reach
out to the Indian community.
Working with Youth
Respect & Savvy Connection
Programmes
Personal safety of young people, either in
the virtual world or in the real world is a big
concern of parents. Thus educating young
people about cyber safety, sexual exploitation
and healthy and respectful relationship, is one
of the essential work WCC undertakes. Over
600 youth from various schools and institutions
benefitted from WCC’s Respect and Savvy
Connection programmes. WCC also trained 18
Myanmarese youth workers as part of our annual
collaboration with the International Catholic
Migration Commission. These youth workers
then conducted the WCC Respect programme
for 206 Myanmarese refugee youths in Kuala
Lumpur.
WCC also took the opportunity to speak on
the portrayal of gender in media advertisements
to 50 mass communication students in KDU
college. The new topic was to encourage students
to think more deeply how advertisements
can reinforce gender stereotypes or break
stereotypical images of male and female roles.
Annual Review 2014
19
Boyz Programme:
Being Men
T
here is raucous laughter. One group of
boys are trying to valiantly defend why
they think watching pornography is part
of becoming a man. The other group of
boys are poking holes in the debate arguments.
The noise level is high, tables are being thumped,
both debate teams can’t keep a straight face.
Hold it – are we discussing pornography? In
school? And laughing? Has WCC lost the plot?
No we haven’t. This is just part of the Boyz
Programme, a new initiative by WCC to reach out
to boys of 15 to 17 year old. In the past, WCC
has worked with boys on anti-gender violence
and respecting women, but this time round the
new approach is to get teenage boys to explore
how they view themselves and their behaviours
as they journey towards manhood.
WCC Programme Consultant Dr Prema
Devaraj explained; “Messages of gender inequality
are taught very early on in life to boys. Notions
of male superiority, the use of aggression, the
objectification of women’s bodies and so on, are
some of the lessons taught and reinforced by
society. When such lessons are internalised, it is not
surprising that many young men find it difficult to
see or relate to women as their equal partners.
To get young men to think about women
20
Women’s Centre for Change, Penang
“ ”
I wish someone had
told me some of
these things when I
was growing up.
16 year old male student
differently, we need to get them to think about
themselves differently. This means challenging
traditional ideas of being men and formulating new
ideas of masculinities and behaviours.”
The Boyz Programme consists of two
main sections: The first section explores and
challenges the traditional stereotypes of men
which reinforces gender inequality. The second
section confronts some behaviours often seen in
teenage boys trying to show they have achieved
some form of manhood (being aggressive, acting
tough, talking about having sex or objectifying
women, watching pornography and so on). The
program uses a variety of activities e.g. role play,
game, debate and the use of audio visual material
as a basis for a structured group discussion to
work with the boys.
The Boyz Programme is conducted by all male
facilitators in a series of three-hour session over
3 to 4 days. The sessions are thought provoking
and accompanied with much frank
discussion and laughter.
Before and after
evaluations show
an increase in the
awareness of the
participants.
WCC
will be conducting
the program with 100
boys in 2015.
“
”
I did not know what to expect,
this was really different.
I’m glad I came for it.
MY, 17 year old student
Outreach 2014
Community Talks
WCC and PPW receives many invitations
and reached out to more than 2,500 people
through our talks and workshops on various
topics relating to women’s rights, gender based
violence and gender equality. All in we received
38 invitations and we were able to create
more public awareness on these issues as well
as the need for members of the public to take
pro-active role in preventing violence at home
and outside. Notably in 2014, such talks and
workshops included:
• Working closely with the Penang women’s
state agency, Penang Women’s Development
Corporation (PWDC), WCC conducted talks
on domestic violence for women in the
community. In addition, in November, PWDC
led the Penang state 16 day campaign on
International Day for Elimination of Violence
Against Women. WCC was a key partner and
collaborated with three ADUN service centres
in Batu Kawan, Sungei Pinang, Pulau Betong
as well as Penang Chinese Town Hall to deliver
talks on creating families without violence.
We also gave talks on sexual harassment to
Majlis Perbandaran Pulau Pinang and Majlis
Perbandaran Seberang Perai staff. • Building smart partnership with local state
assemblyman (ADUN) service centres is
another useful way to reach out to the public,
whereby PPW gave talks on a wide ranging
issues from parenting, financial management,
to marriage and divorce (Syariah and
civil) to these centres in Machang Bubuk,
Seberang Jaya, Penanti and Sungai Bakap.
Such collaborations have been a success in
reaching out to local communities in large.
Children’s Programme
PPW and WCC worked together with the play
therapist Leong Min See who trained staff and
volunteers to become facilitators for a new
initiative benefitting children age between 9 to
12 years of former clients. The workshop aimed
to enhance children’s self-confidence, social and
communication skills. Using sand art, drawings
and activities, intensive sessions were conducted
separately at PPW and WCC with these children.
The children greatly enjoyed these sessions
which will be continued at PPW.
Change is Possible
Changing the minds of different communities through:
• Conducting sexual abuse prevention program for children and youths
• Working with boys to challenge masculinity and promote respect
• Conducting gender talks and workshops to local communities to
increase awareness
Annual Review 2014
21
Advocacy 2014
Melissa Mohd Akhir, Joshua Teh Honguan,
Nur Hasanah Ahmad Akhir, Prema Devaraj,
Loh Cheng Kooi
M
oving in tandem with the key services and outreach
provided by WCC, advocacy’s role remains grounded
in the realities faced by our clients. We continue
at the local level in supporting vulnerable victims to access
their rights at every stage, while also escalating our efforts
at the higher national levels of victim advocacy in Malaysia.
All this is done with the long term view of empowering
survivors and realising a society free from gender violence and
discrimination.
WCC and PPW helped me
emotionally and supported
me throughout the whole
ordeal and the court trials.
They gave me hope and
my future again.
”
Rape survivor, 31 years old
Sexual Crime Victims’ Rights
Support sexual crime victims from
police investigation to the court
trials to better access the criminal
justice system.
Dialogue and Meetings
Organise interagency dialogue and
attend national and international
meetings to give inputs on victims’
rights.
Training Stakeholders
Train government agencies to
enhance their understanding of the
rights of these vulnerable victims.
Engaging Media
Release press statements and
articles on gender violence issues.
Legislative Reform
Participate at government and
ministerial levels to give inputs on
policy and laws affecting women and
children.
Agencies and Communities
Awareness
Give talks to sensitise government
agencies and communities on the
plight of vulnerable victims.
Sexual Crime Victims’ Rights
In 2014, 39 criminal cases were referred to WCC for support
throughout the police investigation or court trial process,
compared to 47 cases in 2013. Working together with WCC
social workers, the two main areas of violence addressed were
sexual crimes especially of child sexual abuse (23 cases), and
domestic violence (16 cases).
In order for victims to fully access justice throughout the
criminal justice process, WCC’s advocacy action is triggered
continuously throughout various stages:
22
“
I was raped by my
stepfather from the
age for 11 to 25.
I felt angry, scared
and humiliated.
Women’s Centre for Change, Penang
Types of Cases
23
Cases
Sexual Crime
16
Cases
DV
Advocacy 2014
a) the violence is reported or medical help
accessed,
b) police investigations and accessing initial
protection from the perpetrator,
c) information-giving, options for long term
protection and familiarisation before court
begins
d) emotional and legal support while client and
family is giving evidence in the main trial,
e) post-trial: legal advice on appeal process,
referral for healing and recovery
Court Support
20
Cases
Before Trial
13
Cases
During Trial
6
Cases
After Trial
In the 20 cases at the ‘before trial’ stage, the
assistance provided include factual reporting
and presenting documentation to the authorities
about the violence suffered. WCC then followed
up by providing essential information on the
progress of criminal investigation and the legal
implications. In addition, the client may be assisted
on legal protection options on her safety that the
violence does not recur. Before each trial begins,
WCC together with our volunteer watching brief
lawyers sought to reduce the intimidating nature
of criminal court trials by briefing client on the
court process, personnel and facilities in court. In
2014, the assistance given when trial has begun
was provided in 13 cases.
WCC is probably the only Malaysian NGO
that has provided systematic court support for
vulnerable victims of crime. Some cases have
extended up to the final appeal stages. WCC’s
user-friendly guidebook Surviving Court available
in English, Bahasa Malaysia, and Mandarin is
being used for victims and their family members
undergoing trials. A video on Surviving Court is
now being produced and will be ready in 2015.
Training Stakeholders on
Violence Against Women
and Children
One of the biggest areas where WCC had
received enhanced legitimacy and recognition
is in training on victim advocacy, namely for the
Attorney-General’s Chambers, the Judiciary and
the National Legal and Judicial Training Institute
(ILKAP). Specifically, WCC is now sought out
to help design modules and conduct training
programme for these national agencies. In
Penang, WCC had also trained court interpreters
to provide sensitised treatment of rape and child
sexual abuse victims. We would like to note our
appreciation for the forward-thinking legal and
judicial officers in Penang and Putrajaya for their
commitment to creating opportunities for victim
advocacy through these trainings.
Not just limited to government agencies,
WCC continues to conduct Watching Brief
Training on Victim Advocacy to increase the
number of lawyers willing to work for victim‘s
rights especially in sexual crimes, domestic
violence and child sexual abuse cases that are
investigated and brought to court. All these
trainings were greatly enhanced by the use of
our Surviving Court booklet as it provides the
special measures needed by vulnerable victims
and their families.
Annual Review 2014
23
Legislative Reform
As part of Joint Action Group for Gender Equality
(JAG - a coalition of 10 women’s rights groups),
WCC worked hard to give critical inputs on laws
that serve women and children’s interests and
rights. Painstaking research and drafting of the
actual proposed laws were made to the Working
Committee on Law Reform of the Attorney
General’s Chambers, as well as the Women’s MP
Caucus on Violence Against Women and Child
Rights. Some of the laws that WCC has been
working intensively on to make more effective
are the Domestic Violence Act 1994, the Criminal
Procedure Code, the Penal Code, the Evidence
Act 1950, the Evidence of Child Witnesses Act
2007 and the Child Act 2001. Other than actual
drafting of the laws, WCC together with JAG
members continue to engage with the Women
Parliamentarians Caucus to push for real change.
Dialogues and Meetings
WCC initiative to organise Interagency Dialogue
on Victim Support with 6 agencies (Court,
Prosecutors, Police, Welfare Department,
Hospital, Lawyers) went smoothly. Held twice
a year, the objective is to ensure the criminal
justice stakeholders at the State-level continue
to prioritise the rights of crime victims especially
women and children. This dialogue forms the
basis of WCC’s standing and trust in engaging
with national stakeholders especially Ministries
and the Bar Council, to hold a National
Consultation on the Rights of Vulnerable Victims
to be held in 2015.
WCC is one of the few NGOs that
consistently document real-life experience of
women and children in accessing justice. We
24
Women’s Centre for Change, Penang
encourage good practices by service providers
in supporting vulnerable crime victims. These
issues were shared internationally when WCC
participated at the Asia-Pacific level at the Civil
Society Conference on Beijing +20. As part of the ongoing struggle for
women’s rights to be recognised, WCC gave
a presentation at a policy dialogue with sexual
and reproductive health and rights experts,
civil society organizations advocates, and
other key stakeholders to assess key sexual
and reproductive health trends and issues in
Malaysia. The impact of the dialogue was the
formulation of recommendations towards the
International Conference on Population and
Development (ICPD) review and Post-2015
development agenda.
Engaging with the Media
The advocacy team produced a number of
articles and letters on hot button issues
throughout 2014. Among the issues which were
addressed were the gang rape in Kelantan, child
custody and conversion, the role of women in
the electoral process, breaking the glass ceiling
for women in politics, and the delay in extraditing
a political aide accused of sexual assault in New
Zealand. A total of 20 letters were published in
the English (17 letters), Mandarin (two letters)
and BM (one letter) press.
Overall WCC had received healthy media
coverage throughout the year. The Star also ran
a feature on a WCC domestic violence client;
three Mandarin press also covered the launch of
the Surviving Court Mandarin language booklet
launch; and three media publications covered
the WCC Media Forum.
On the airwaves, WCC appeared on Traxx
FM in January to speak about domestic violence,
and on BFM in October 2014 to discuss child
privacy in the media and WCC’s media forum to
push for ethical reporting.
Advocacy 2014
Agencies and Communities
Awareness
The advocacy team undertook a new survey
from May to September of 10 news publications
in English, Bahasa Malaysia and Mandarin.
The aim of the survey was to see if the media
article could result in the community being able
to identify the particular child reported to be
involved in a sexual crime.
Following the survey, WCC organised a
forum entitled Child Privacy and the Media for
the media, lecturers and journalism students.
Prominent journalists were involved as panelists
and moderators for the forum. The WCC’s media
survey result was highlighted: 15% of the media
articles were found to lead to the identification
of the child. Such a breach of privacy is a criminal
offence under the Child Act 2001 and WCC put
forth our client’s trauma when the media had
identified her.
The forum’s outcome emphasised on the
importance of media ethics in reporting sexual
crimes involving children, and the way forward in
monitoring journalism ethics.
Throughout 2014, the advocacy team conducted
7 talks to educate and sensitise communities and
government agencies to the plight of vulnerable
crime victims. WCC actively participated in
workshops to improve access to justice for
victims: with the police force on The Role of
NGOs in helping women and child victims; with
Penang Hospital on Sexual Crime Cases, and
with KL Lawyers on Silent Suffering: The Need
for Victim Advocacy & Support. WCC had also
reached out directly via talks for communities
in Sungai Petani, Kedah (together with KANITA,
USM) on women’s access to justice in domestic
violence cases and University Utara students in
Sintok, Kedah.
On the national scale, WCC represented
JAG and conducted an Anti-Rape Forum in Kota
Bharu, Kelantan following a horrific gang rape
case of an underaged girl. Together with local
organiser, Reproductive Health Association of
Kelantan (ReHAK), WCC spoke on the rights of
rape victims and increased awareness in the fight
against sexual crimes.
Change is Possible
Changing Practices and Policies of government enforcement agencies through:
• Providing critical support to vulnerable victims so that they are better
equipped before and during court trials
• Conducting trainings to prosecutors and lawyers to advocate for the rights
of sexual crimes victims to access justice
• Giving inputs on amendments in sexual crimes laws to improve the lives of
women and children
Annual Review 2014
25
General Committee 2014,
Staff & Working Groups
Patron
Y.A.Bhg. Toh Puan Dato’ Seri Utama Hajah Majimor bt. Shariff
Trustees
Lalitha Menon, Chin Khuan Sui, Yuslinov Ahmad
General Committee 2014
President
Vice President
Vice President
Hon Secretary
Assistant Secretary
Treasurer
Committee Members
Fundraising Ambassador
26
Susan Siew Pui Fun
Lim Kah Cheng
Lalitha Menon
Shakila Abdul Manan
Yeoh Siew Eng
Chin Khuan Sui
Karen Lai Yu Lee, Cindy Ruble,
Hajar Abdul Rahman, Mariam Lim
Annie Chin
Women’s Centre for Change, Penang
General Committee 2014, Staff & Working Groups
WCC Staff
Executive Director
Program Consultant
Social Worker
Advocacy Officer
Project Officer
Liaison Officer
Admin & Finance Officer
Communication Officer
Shelter Assistant
Loh Cheng Kooi
Prema Devaraj
Yeoh Bee Yen, Nurul Bahirah, Reeta Kasi, Laika Jumabhoy
Melissa Mohd Akhir, Joshua Teh Honguan
Tasha Merican, Mangleswary Subramanian, Jolene Tan Yew Mei
Hasanah A. Akhir
Cheah Gaik Suan
Lor Yew Mien
Sharon Sim Joo Joo
PPW Staff
PPW Manager
PPW Coordinator
Social Worker
Elaine Ong Lean Suat
Ooi Say Tee
Muniroh Mohd Yusoff, Dharmambal Arjunan
Annual Review 2014
27
Standing Committee
Human Resources
Finance
Susan Siew*, Chin Khuan Sui, Shakila Manan, Loh Cheng Kooi (ex-officio)
Susan Siew*, Annie Chin, Chin Khuan Sui, Mariam Lim,
Loh Cheng Kooi (ex-officio)
Working Group
Service & Shelter
Yeoh Siew Eng*, Karen Lai, Christine Teoh
Staff: Yeoh Bee Yen, Jolene Tan, Tasha Merican, Reeta Kasi,
Mangles Subramaniam, Nurul Bahirah Ilias, Ooi Say Tee,
Muniroh Mohd Yusoff, Elaine Ong & Dharmambal Arjunan
Outreach
Cindy Ruble*, Lim Kah Cheng, Hajar Abdul Rahim, Ivy Ho, Shakila Manan,
Rozita Tan, Wong Soon Lan, Chuah Seong Yuen, Tang Kae Shih,
Ng Lee Y’ng & Chueng Kwan Leng
Staff: Prema Devaraj, Tasha Merican, Mangleswary Subramaniam,
Ooi Say Tee & Muniroh Mohd Yusoff
Advocacy
Lalitha Menon*, Susan Siew, Lim Kian Leong, & Tan Guat Cheng
Staff: Melissa Akhir, Prema Devaraj, Loh Cheng Kooi & Hasanah Akhir &
Joshua Teh Hong Guan
PPW
Chin Khuan Sui*, Molly Lee, Beh Chooi Heah, Cheryl Tan, Lim Kian Leong &
Maria Francesca Belavandram
Staff: Elaine Ong, Ooi Say Tee, Muniroh Mohd Yusoff & Dharmambal Arjunan
* denotes Chairperson
28
Women’s Centre for Change, Penang
Appreciation and Gratitude
Appreciation
and Gratitude
Donations and Sponsorships
Donors & Sponsors
Individuals
• Brot fur die Welt - Evangelischer
• Dato’ Lim Kean Seng
Entwicklungsdienst
• Penang State MMK Women, Family and
Community Development
• Lim Cheah Lin
• Dato’ Sim Ah Chye
• Ong Eng Bin
• High Commission of Canada, Malaysia
• Chung Kean Beng
• Neoh Foundation
• Chan Choong Kong
• Malar Project
• Chuah Seong Yuen & Friends
• Jabatan Kebajikan Masyarakat, Malaysia
• Chan Hong Ee
• Cheong Loong Sang
• Ong Pei Sze
• Khaw Fung Fung
• Yeong Joo Kean
• Yeoh Siew Eng & Friends
• Low Chee Soon
• Thoo Kau Meng
• Ambiga Devy
• Cheah Swee Hung
• Michelle Mary Lim & Friends
• Cheah Huey Yee
• Datin Yoon Wei Lin
Charity Beneficiaries
• Penang Joyful Charity Concert 2013
• Yap Wing Chun
• Suen Jewellers Sdn Bhd
Organisations/
Corporations
• World Belly Charity Dance 2014 (Zero Fitness)
• Caltronic Technology Sdn Bhd
• Ideal Homes Properties – Star Walk
• Orient Chemtraco Sdn Bhd
• Dell Charity Event
• Tan Optometry
• Molex Charity Drive
• Wisdom Life Academy
• IWA Charity Bazaar
• Tun Sardon Foundation
• Jurlique Charity Fund
Annual Review 2014
29
Volunteers & Interns
WCC gratefully acknowledges the many individuals who gave time and expertise.
We apologise to those whom we may have inadvertently missed out.
• Chan Lean Heng
• Chang Mei Leng
• Gale Metcalf
• Joel Wallach
• Kat Fatland
• Malini Theipmanee Charon
• Nancy Jenster
• Poh Lerk Shih
• Sally Eu
• Tan Saw Yen
Service
WCC
• Annie Yeap
• Ann Lee Sien Sut
• Chueng Kwan Leng
• Chizuko Nakazato
• Christine Teoh
• Ewe Gaik Pheng
• Florence Soon
• Khor Siang Tatt
• Lye Keok Wah
• Maria Francisca Belavandram
• Molly Lee
• Monina Felix
• Petrina Teh
• Sajni Bai Bulchand
• Sally Alexander
• Saw Peik Hooi
• Stella Lau
• Tan Siew Ling
• Wendy Ang
• Wu Wei Kheng
• Yuslinov Ahmad
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Women’s Centre for Change, Penang
PPW
• Beh Chooi Heah
• Cherly Tan
• Cheng Seet Ian
• Cheng Seet Van
• Chiam Soo Ping
Appreciation and Gratitude
Outreach
• Aida Redza
• Aliza Alexander
• Ang Suan Wah
• Ashnina Anandan
• Alisha Koay
• Esther Chan
• Ewe Fang Yunn
• Chuah Seong Yuen
• Ivy Tham
• Jenny Tan
• Kanapathy Supramaniam
• Kalpana Munusamy Naidu
• Kumanan Kandasamy
• Joyce Loh
• Lim Yeong Li
• Low Yu Jo
• Marie Chee
• Nadhra Halig
• Ng Lee Yng
• Rozita Tan
• Sabrina Soon
• Tang Kae Shih
• Tioh Tiang Suan
• Wong Soon Lan
• Wong Siaw Wei
Annual Review 2014
31
Advocacy
Interns
• Ahmad Munawir Bin Abdul Aziz
• Chan Xin Ying
• Anbananathan Yathiraju
• Cheong Zien Wei
• Foo Siew Pheng
• Eleonor Kay
• Ho Leong Hong
• Isabel Miller
• Janice Teoh
• Jane Lee Ee May
• Lim Kian Leong
• Jocye Ong Lee Ling
• Meera Samanther
• Lim Jing Rong
• Ravi Chandran
• Long Shuen Wei
• Sandy Yong
• Natassha Choong Lean Siew
• Tan Guat Cheng
• Nessrine Ariffin
• Tharumarajah a/l Thiagarajan
• Ng Erene
• Ng Yan Chuan
• Noor Arina binti Baharinshah
• Tan Jie Lie
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Women’s Centre for Change, Penang
Appreciation and Gratitude
Partners & Supporting Agencies
• All Women’s Action Society (AWAM)
• Amanita
• Attorney General Chambers of Malaysia
• Bar Council Malaysia
• Bar Committee, Penang
• Befrienders Penang
• BOLD Association for Children with Special Needs
• Baptist Church
• Bahagian Sokongan Keluarga, Mahkamah Rendah Syariah Seberang Perai Utara
• Butterworth Methodist Church
• Children’s Protection Society
• Creativity at Heart
• Centre for Creative Arts Therapy
• D’Home Mental Health Association
• DHL Supply Chain
• Divinity School
• Food Bank 4 U
• Flextronics, Skudai, Johor
• Hospital Balik Pulau
• Hospital Bukit Mertajam
• Hospital Pulau Pinang
• Hospital Seberang Jaya
• Hospital Sungai Bakap
• Hospital Sultanah Bahiyah, Kedah
Annual Review 2014
33
• Institut Pendidikan Guru Kampus Pulau Pinang
• International Women’s Association
• International Catholic Migration Commission (ICMC)
• Islamic Charity Society, Pulau Pinang
• Institute of Training and Development (ITD)
• Jabatan Bantuan Guaman, Pulau Pinang
• Jabatan Kebajikan Masyarakat Negeri Pulau Pinang
• Jabatan Kesihatan Negeri Pulau Pinang
• Jabatan Pelajaran Negeri Pulau Pinang
• JKKK Simpang Ampat Seberang Perai Selatan
• JKKK Kampung Kepala Gajah, Seberang Perai Selatan
• JKKK Kubang Semang, Seberang Perai Utara
• JKKK Sungai Semambu, Seberang Perai Utara
• JKKK Jalan Tuna, Seberang Perai Tengah
• KDU College, Penang
• Klinik Kesihatan Bayan Baru
• Klinik Kesihatan Sungai Acheh
• Lam Wah Ee Nursing College
• Legal Aid Centre, Penang
• Legal Aid Centre, Butterworth
• Lions’ Club of Georgetown Island Penang
• Lion’s Club of Georgetown Perdana
• Lembaga Penduduk dan Pembangunan Keluarga Negara (LPPKN)
• Majlis Perbandaran Pulau Pinang (MPPP)
• Majlis Perbandaran Seberang Perai (MPSP)
• Malaysian Child Resource Institute (MCRI)
• Molex (M) Sdn Bhd
• Mutiara FM
• Mahkamah Pulau Pinang
• National Judicial and Legal Training Institute (ILKAP)
• Pejabat Ketua Pendaftar Mahkamah Persekutuan Malaysia
• Penang Association of Counselling and Psychology (PACP)
• Penang Counselling Group
• Penang Chinese Town Hall
• Ibu Pejabat Polis Kontinjen Pulau Pinang
• Pejabat Kesihatan Komtar
• Pejabat Kesihatan Bayan Baru
• Pejabat Kesihatan Daerah Barat Daya
• Pejabat Kesihatan Daerah Seberang Perai Selatan
• Penang Timur Laut District Office
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Women’s Centre for Change, Penang
Appreciation and Gratitude
• Penang Seberang Perai Utara District Office
• Penang Forum
• Penang Medical College
• Penang State Women, Family and Community Development
• Perak Women for Women (PWW)
• Penang Women’s Development Corporation (PWDC)
• Persatuan Kesedaran Komuniti Selangor (EMPOWER)
• Persatuan Brahma Kumaris
• Persatuan Guru Tadika Tamil
• Persatuan Telegu Malaysia
• Persatuan Keluarga Polis (PERKEP)
• Persatuan Kebajikan Wanita Mawar
• Persatuan Sahabat Wanita Selangor (PSWS)
• Piktochart
• Pusat Khidmat Adun Machang Bubuk
• Pusat Khidmat Adun Padang Lalang
• Pusat Khidmat Adun Penanti
• Pusat Khidmat Adun Pulau Betong
• Pusat Khidmat Adun Seberang Jaya
• Pusat Khidmat Adun Sungai Bakap
• Pusat Khidmat Adun Sungai Pinang
• Pusat Khidmat Ahli Parlimen Batu Kawan
• Rumah Bakti Kepala Batas
Annual Review 2014
35
• Sathya Sai Baba Centre of Seberang Perai
• Shammah Home
• Sisters in Islam (SIS)
• Soroptomist International Club of Penang
• Soroptomist International Ipoh
• St Joseph Home
• St Nicholas Home
• Suara Rakyat (SUARAM), Penang Branch • Than Hsiang Mitra Welfare Association
• UNICEF
• Unit Pendakwaan, Pejabat Penasihat Undang-Undang Pulau Pinang
• Universiti Sains Malaysia (KANITA)
• Universiti Sains Malaysia (Pusat Pengajian Sains Kemasyarakatan)
• Universiti Teknologi Petronas
• Universiti Utara Malaysia
• Vivekkam Motivation Team
• Voice of the Children
• World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA)
• Women’s Aid Organisation (WAO)
• Women’s Welfare Council
• Women’s Rights Awareness Association (WRAA)
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Women’s Centre for Change, Penang
About WCC
www.wccpenang.org
The Women’s Centre for Change, Penang is a women’s
rights organisation established in 1985. WCC provides free
services in counseling, emotional support, legal advice and
temporary shelter for women in crisis, irrespective of their
ethnicity, religion and social background.
WCC also conducts various outreach programs: sexual abuse
prevention for children and youth, and gender awareness for
the public. WCC is a member of the Joint Action Group for
Gender Equality (JAG) which actively campaigns for policy
and legal reforms affecting women and children.
Editors:
Loh Cheng Kooi,
Susan Siew & Ellen Ma
Contributors
Prema Devaraj,
Melissa Mohd Akhir,
Tasha Merican, Mangleswary
Subramaniam, Yeoh Bee Yen,
Ooi Say Tee, Elaine Ong,
Joshua Teh, Hasanah A. Akhir,
Chan Lean Heng & Molly Lee
Sponsor
Brot fur die Welt-Evangelischer
Entwicklungsdienst
Pusat Kesedaran Wanita (WCC)
241, Jalan Burma, 10350 Penang, Malaysia
T: +604–228 0342 F: +604–228 5784 E: [email protected]
Pusat Perkhidmatan Wanita (PPW)
67A, 1 Flr, Jalan Perai Jaya 4, Bandar Perai Jaya, 13600 Perai
T: +604–398 8340 E: [email protected]
www.wccpenang.org