6.1 Interview:
Day: 15 /7 /2011
Time: 15.30 until 16.30 ( one hour)
with: Madam.nazlina Abd Chani (social worker) in (Women's Aid Origination)
Q1: how can you define Domestic violence?
in Malaysia, if you study about the act since 1994, and in the act we can see how they defined the domestic violence, the act only define as a physical abuse, but we in WAO and women in go in Malaysia see violence is not physical abuse, it about power and control, where one party use power to control the other party who is weaker than the, for example, in domestic violence situation, normally the situation majority happen between husband and wife where husband think that husband has more power than wife to control, and how they control by physical abuse her mentally posture her , sexually abuse her, financially by not giving her money, and socially abuse her by cute her relationship with her family.., and this is how we defined DV is about power and control, and those who live with domestic violence situation, even if they stay in their house but they living in fear.
that why through my past 12 years experience, most of the victims stay with abuse situation for at least 5 years or more than that, why, because they don't know that they can't do anything, until they think that they are hapless and helpless, even in Malaysia, when we talk about domestic violence, people think it is family matter, but with our law since 1994, it says that DV is a crime. and victim can tortures, a report to police if she has abused by the partner, parents , or so on. violence happen within the family member, husband and wife, father and children, mother and children ....
we do not see it as private matter anymore, but we see it as a sociality issue, and we are part of the society, we should play our role in order to decrease the DV or at least give awareness to the society,
abuse is not right no matter what happen between husband and wife, because abuse is not going to solve the problem, no matter what she did, but the best way is to talk to her, or get someone to talk to her, but not by abusing her or the children , because we don't believe that abuse is going to solve the problem.
for us and other NGO, we see DV is not just physical, it's more than that, there are 5 type of abuse, physical, mental, torture , emotional, social in one type, and sexual abuse, and financial abuse, that why our act, even the act is there but in tem of punishment but we have to refer to our BENABOT book in tem to get punishment, so DVA is not independent act, it is dependable act, so in tem of punishment.
it's quit complicated, even for WAO and NGO still lobby for the policy maker to make some editing on the act, and to make this act more better.
we are working with other NGO for the act because sometime some abuse happen with there is no physical abuse at all but is more in metal torture, metal torture for example, you keep shouting her or take the children from her, or isolate her family, that makes her so scary and sear, and in order of people talk, she keep silent and quit, the abuse has happened, but it is not cover in the law, let's say, if she want to go to the police station and report to them, they will ask where is your evidence in tem in injuries, that why metal torture is not external injuries but it is about internal injuries, that when DV is not physical but it is also mentally on her, that can affect the women and can give effect on the children, when the children grown up in the abuse situation, they will think that is normal situation, they will think that violence is part of culture, part of life, that why DV can be Inherited, so when they grow up they will do the same to their partner later on in the future. for example when the father abuse the mother, the children later on they will think that is normal and OK, that whey we don't want that happen to our future generation.
Q2: Do you Think that domestic violence is related to some culture?
DV is not related to any culture, it is everywhere, that why when we see the definition of DV is about the misunderstand of power and control, and that it is started because the misunderstand of the role of men and women in the family and also in the society. here in WAO we see the only different between men and women is just in term of biological , appearance, but in term of capability, ability to do thing , it almost the same,,, if the man get angry, the women also get angry, if the man is romantic, also the women is romantic.....
I believe in marriage life we should share the responsibility but not harsh the other party . that why when we do awareness , we stress on the equality in the society, in the family, once you understand your roles, and her rolls, you can understand each other.
Q3: What should we deliver in the campaign?
why women don't want to take action, because they don't know their right, because their husband lock her in the house, don't allow them to go out and see the, family, friend, and so on, so many women's don't know what is DV, and for them they think is OK and normal, and it's part of marriage life, so they think that they have to be patient, so on
so it's better to deliver the information through the campaign, to tell what is the right about women,, tell them what is DV first , and DV is not a private issue or its family matter, it is a society matter and women has power to change their live, and then to tell in term of legally what they can do,,, and how to indentify whether they are victim of DV or not, because sometime women don't know whether they are victim or not. and how they can seek help in the organization or to go to police station to report, and the most important thing is to create the awareness not only among the victims but also among the society, to tell the society that for example if your neighbor is abuse by her husband, you can do something for the abuser, by calling the organization, or to pass her the number.
if the victim keep silent, no one will help her.
Q4: What WAO provide to victims?
provide shelter, moral support to tell the victim that you are not alone, and there are ways to solve the problems.
counseling through the phone, if they are not comfortable
if she is in danger, we call her to come where we provide shelters for her and for her chidden if she has until she know what she wants to do,
create the awareness among the society,
we want them to speak up.
Q5: how WAO educates the public?
mainly through our awareness' campaigns, we go out to university, school, village, ... not only to talk to the women but also talk to the men, and how men can play their roles to stop the violence, and also through media, we TV, Radio and website, to send the message to society not any for DV but also about other violence, rape trafficking , abandon baby and so on. and this who to go to society. and we go to school and talk to kids there on who they should treat their brothers and sisters equally, because, to change the perception of adult (old generation) is very difficult, so it is better to start form young generation.
Q6: how do you see the success of your campaign?
through 12 years experience , the awareness of DV is increase, the public is more aware about DV,
we can see form the causes, that came to us from victims, neighbor... other, how they can get help.
and we got causes form government agencies, and because government don't have shutter for such domestic violence, so they refer the causes to us.
and the police is more sensitive compare to 12 years ago, in 12 years ago when I started in WAO , when the women go to police station to report about the abuse, so the advice from the police was, "just go back to your husband, we cannot do anything because it's a family issue". so now the police refer to as more that 12 years ago in such like this issue.
Q7: What is Joint Action Group(JAG)?
it is a several organizations like, sister in Islam, WAO,...etc. we have establish this group to look
in any kind of discriminate women.. and as JAG we work very hard to change and to do
something to reform the DVA.
Q8: what makes WAO special that other organization?
WAO has established in 1982 and now is 2011, so we are the first organization in Malaysia how setup shelter. we are not religious organization, and nonprofit organization, so take all kind of causes, and all kind of races, that any women whether they are foreigner or not, whether they are Muslim or not, whatever they are, they will come and seek our help. and in term in funding we are stable. where there are many other organizations are not stable.
Q9: the fund that WAO faced in 2008?
it was very difficult for us also, that we have to come to decision, where to make sure we can operate us usual, and open our shelter for women, so we agreed to cut 10 percent from our salary and that will go to our operation. because we are in WAO, we provide everything for the client, so they don't have to pay anything from A to Z, even if they want to go to the hospital, to the court. and there are many people come to help us in this situation so we could in just one year, to pass that bad situation. and now WAO is better than before.
I always believe, when you have good intention, that you want to help people, so in bad situation
you will find people will help you.
Q10: do you think that DV is increase or decrease in Malaysia ?
if we see the reported causes of DV is increase that somehow, mean that people are more awarded about DV. so we see the increase in the number of DV in society is positive result.
and in the newspaper, everyday they report about the DV Counseling the media is play their roles by covering more report about DV causes comparing to last time.
and I believe that because of the awareness and the society responsibly toward the this issue.
Q11: how can you define The Body Shop as a sponsor?
we have been working with TBS for few years ago, as TBS is quit known brand among people in Malaysia, and many women go to TBS, so we see through this company, we can distribute the awareness among women. and in five years, TBS is distribute the brochure in their shops around Malaysia every year about how to end the violence against women, how the victim should speak out...and so on.
and TBS helps the WAO the cost of printing, and if someone purchased something from TBS, so 10 present will come to us.
Q12: what is WAO's long term objective?
actually, we want to increase the awareness among the society.
in the law we want to see the definition of DV will cover more, it is not physical abuse, but metal torture.. etc.
we do not have branches in Malaysia except the one in Pataling Jaya. so we want to have branches all over Malaysia. and that because of the funding.
we need around 70.000 RM per month to cover all the expenses in the WAO, but we help other organization, where they come to us to help them to set up and start, for example in Penang , there is organizations that do the same with WAO by providing shutters , Counseling and so on... and we help them to start up..
continue calling the women ministry to set up shelters for women, because providing shelter is a government obligation. because in Malaysia, shelter for old people., abandoned children but we don't have shelter for abused women.
the society should have organization for men (perpetrator) to educate and help them the change misperception of the using power and control.
Survey:
A. Male B. Female
A. 18 - 22 B.23 -26 C. 27 and above
A. Single B. Married C. Divorced D. Widow
A. Student B. Employee C. Unemployed
A. Malay B. Chinese C. Indian D. Other
A. Yes B. No
A. Yes B. No
A. Yes B. No
A. Advice her to go to police B. Give her contact number of any women organization
C. Help her to escape D. Other
A. Yes B. No C. Maybe
A. physical B. Sexual C. Emotional
D. Verbal E. Financial F. Other
A. Increase B. Decrease C. Same D. I don't know
A. Yes B. No
A. Major Problem B. Minor Problem C. Not a problem D. Not sure
A. Enforce strict laws to hold abusers more accountable
B. Expand services for victims of domestic violence
C. Make more shelter spaces available
D. Increase awareness
E. Other
6.3 Result analysis:
In the end of the survey, we realized that the majority of responses share that domestic violence
is a major problem in the society, and victims have to speak up because they can't solve the
problem silence.
Also it shows the high number of responses about the providing shelters should be government
obligation which means that can affect the government.
if we see the responses on the how people define the domestic violence, we will notice that they
define is not just physical abuse but also sexual, financial, emotional... which mean if the
campaign show this result may will have effect to reform the act to include all other kind of
abuse .
in the end, we see domestic violence against women in Malaysia is quit known issue, which
means, the weakness of the issue and how to solve it, should has wide range among people to
reduce it .
