Awam Newsletter - Jan 09

WAVES Issue No 2, January 2009

©2008 Evershed Card Collection. All rights reserved.

Women With the Wave Some of the women Chose to chase the wave, Whilst others preferred to ride it.

85, Jalan 21/1 46300 Petaling Jaya Tel: 03-78774221 Fax: 30-78743312 www.awam.org.my

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WAVES Issue No 2, January 2009

IN THIS ISSUE: Editorial Gender Workshop WWRP (cont’) 20th Anniversary Staff Movement Xmas Party Treasure Hunt

by Farlina Said & Kang Soon Chen

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Myths of Feminism

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Politics or wrestling match?

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Evaluation & Hopes

[W]RITE AWAY!

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MY rights, your RIGHTS by Ho Wai Ling

It is MY RIGHT to speak out. But have we forgotten our choice of words, tone and body language? Respect others. It is MY RIGHT to clean air, water and environment. But have we forgotten that we should use all these resources without wastage and exploitation? Respect our environment. It is MY RIGHT to rest and leisure. But have we forgotten how the domestic workers work 18 hours a day? Respect our fellow assistants. It is MY RIGHT to volunteer. But have we forgotten our responsibilities when we take up the task? Respect the position and trust from others. It is MY RIGHT to pen my view here. I respect your choice, your views and your contribution towards the organisation, community and environment.

WWRP 6 participants, facilitators and guest speakers. Photo credit: Maisarah Muhd Najib “To me the WWRP is special because of its ability to bring a diverse group of young women together. The energies that spark and the way everyone comes together is simply terrific.” – enthused Seetha, facilitator of the Writers for Women’s Rights Programme (WWRP) sixth workshop, held from 1316, November 2008. “It was … emotionally intense. So it took me way back. But after that it was good seeing new people, teaching them new things on feminism. It was always interesting to see how they react to that,” said Su-Lyn, another facilitator for the workshop. “… [T]he workshop has opened my eyes and helped me see the world in a different way. Feminists are not oversensitive; they are just being perceptive, and they see the injustices against women in the media,” said Eileen Cham, 18, another participant of WWRP 6. WWRP is a workshop catered for young women from the ages of 18 to 32

with an interest towards writing. The sixth workshop was conducted over the span of three and a half days at La Salle Hall, PJ. There were fifteen sessions in total, most geared towards understanding gender and women’s issues, the media, and to develop writing and analytical skills of the participants. “[But]… there was more to it than just writing…” said Shobana Hema, another participant of WWRP 6. “The workshop helped me realise what I am doing here … [I] never really thought that there were so many rape cases in the paper, that there was so much violence, so many divorces, so many ugly marital problems. I never really looked at all those… [W]hen I joined the organisation, I had to. It was part of my job to respond to articles so it became a routine that I… look at issues and I'm like ‘Oh my God, there are so many things that is happening.’ Then… [I] attended the workshop. The workshop opened up to how women are

being discriminated in the media. That was an eye opener,” Shobana elaborated of her experience in Women’s Centre for Change (WCC) in Penang. “Feminism is a personal experience for all of us, whether we are men or women. These sessions were more personal rather than intellectual because we would gather our experiences when we talk about things,” Su-Lyn continued. Karen Lai, 31 another participant said “…[Y]ou really can’t write effectively without touching a nerve yourself and without connecting to yourself very deeply. I think the workshop aims to do a lot of things because it’s part of gender awareness and learning about ourselves as women and also feminism.” “When the circle around me is never really affected like my house, my family, my close family, my personal relationships, if we are all fine… but in other words, selfish kan?... But when I started to join the See page 4

WAVES Issue No 2, January 2009

The Editor’s Pen The economic meltdown that shook the world with a resultant domino effect globally has not spared us. Some have been laid off while others have their jobs on the line, faced with an uncertain future. Would women be the first to be marginalised in this? How would families, particularly women and children, be affected? Would this change the landscape of our lives and that of AWAM’s? So many questions begging to be answered …. But meanwhile, life has to go on, the branches will continue to “wave” and AWAM has to continue with its mission.

To borrow a famous maxim, “The impossible is often the untried” ... perhaps this is the moment that we have to seize to try the “untried”! We need to figure out what that means to each of us, personally as well as in our relationship with AWAM. We continue to invite our members to come and join our activities, to help us continue “waving”, supporting, enabling and energising each other. All our committees are begging for new “blood”. May the new year despite its uncertainties be the impetus for us to try the untried! Like our first, this second issue of the e-

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newsletter would not have been possible without the WWRPers’ involvement. Their enthusiasm and dedication, attributed in no small measure to the fire generated at the recent WWRP’s workshop, is infectious to say the least! So syabas to WWRP! Many more willing hands and passionate hearts are very much needed to continue our journey throughout the year. Together, whether new or old members, young or not so young, energised or jaded, happy or angry, healthy or not so healthy, we have a life to live and hands to WAVE ….. so, come on!

Editorial Team Bernie Chow – Editor Boo Su-Lyn – Assistant Editor Apsara Murale Dahlia Martin Farlina Said Gan Pei Ling Kang Soon Chen Maisarah Muhd Najib Malati Mal See Ju-Vern

them softly if they could untie the blindfolds. There was much hesitation among most of the blindfolded participants. After some time, Haslinah ended the role play and asked for feedback. Most of the participants who had been blindfolded refused to let other participants remove their blindfolds as they felt afraid. Haslinah then explained that those were the effects of violence. I facilitated the final session on basic helping skills. This session was

mostly practical, with participants going through numerous role plays to practice basic helping skills. All in all, it was an excellent workshop. Evaluation from participants showed that their expectations were met and that the workshop advanced their knowledge on the three topics above. Hopefully, this workshop will be the start of a collaborative relationship between AWAM and the OSCC in the future.

All contributions are welcome! Got something to say, a story to share, a tale to tell, an article to write, a feedback or an encouragement to give? Give it to us at [email protected] We are dying to hear from you!

OSCC Gender Workshop by RK Boo For the first time in years, we organised a gender sensitisation workshop for hospital staff at General Hospital on October 23 this year. About 30 hospital staff members from various departments attended the workshop. Betty Yeoh, Haslinah Yaacob, Billie Day and I facilitated the workshop. After an introduction by the jovial Dr Faizal bin Salikin from the One Stop Crisis Centre (OSCC), Betty conducted a session on Sex and Gender. Many participants called out typical stereotypes when questioned on the typical characteristics of women versus men. Betty then debunked those stereotypes when she switched the labels around and asked participants if women could also be aggressive, or if men could also be gentle, and various other characteris-

tics. A scary side of the usually demure Haslinah emerged when she conducted the next session on violence against women. Acting like a tough commando, she ordered everyone in the room to be silent as she divided the participants into four groups. One group was blindfolded and their hands were tied; they were also told to kneel on the floor, while another group went through the same treatment but were allowed to stand up. The third group was observers while the fourth group stood without being blindfolded. As the second group knelt on the floor, Haslinah barked at them and prodded a few people who were reluctant at kneeling down. The fourth group then approached the two blindfolded groups and asked

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...from page 2 women's organisation and participated at the workshop, I listened to a lot of experiences that everybody was sharing. I started to feel that it’s [feminism] not just me but it's a larger version of everybody,” Shobana said. Writers for Women’s Rights Programme (WWRP) was started in 2005 as part of AWAM’s efforts to build the capacity of young Malaysian women to engage with the media. This workshop has already been run six times and churned out over 60 alumni. Part of its success lies with the hard work put in by the coordinator of WWRP, Ng Tze Yeng.

WAVES Issue No 2, January 2009

tween the coordinators and the participants starting from day one. Another great achievement of the workshop is that it was conducted with half the budget from the previous five workshops. Resourceful(Left) Eileen Cham checking out the ness aside, notes about Malaysia’s media history previous particiwhile Shobana Hema was pasting one pants were also roped in to of the notes onto the board. share their involvement with the proAccording to Tze gramme with the new Yeng, WWRP 6 was a WWRP participants. special one because it On being asked about was the first time that how the committee can they incorporated games improve for the workshop besides writing clinics. next year, Tze Yeng said She was also very glad at that her team of organisthe high level of trust be-

ers has learnt to be more aware of the workshop dynamics, something which can only be learned through experience. Having been involved in the running of WWRP for the last three years, Tze Yeng hopes that a new team of young women will take over from her. She shared that the one thing which is special about WWRP is that it is run by young women for young women. With the ongoing campaign to organise sales of the Bahasa Malaysia version of Young Women Speak Out (YWSO), it is certain that WWRP will reach out to more young women!

Celebrating Dreams: Creating Women’s Space by Apsara Murale

AWAM's 2Oth Anniversary Event was held on the 8th of November 2008 at Tanarimba, Janda Baik, Bukit Tinggi. The theme of the event was Celebrating Dreams: Creating Women's Spaces. The objective of the event was to celebrate AWAM's 20 years of creating women's spaces in the public realm, reclaiming their rights, enlarging their voices and regaining their power. It also celebrates and recognises the efforts of the founding members who provided much needed support for a relatively young organisation. The event was emceed by the witty and delightful Priya Sharma. The informal and festive mood of the event what with colourful sarongs and sumptuous food was kick started by a performance of the Tugu Drummers where the guests participated with the rhythms to create exotic expressions of the

self followed by the keynote speech which was delivered by the Vice President of AWAM, Haslinah Yaakob. Judith Koh also gave a speech which was warmly received by the crowd. Later throughout the event the eclectic guests who came from all walks of life were not only entertained by performances involving all the departments under the AWAM organisation umbrella which included amongst others: Services, WWRP, Training and Advocacy etc. Each performance was unique as it showcased AWAM's work and the ideals for which it stood for. The highlight of the event was the inspirational speech given by one of AWAM’s founding and pioneering member, Dr Cecilia Ng. She stressed the importance of keeping up with the times to not only

remain relevant but to effectively address the issues facing today's generation of young women and also to be more inclusive and respectful of diversity. Although the ideological and political terrain will always be contested, she urged us not to remain complacent but to value each other’s struggles and learn from them in order to reach AWAM's goals. The speech struck a chord with everyone who was present and she was greeted with rapturous applause whereby afterwards the merrymaking continued. Judith Koh, who was the organiser of the event, commented on how organising this event was different. Every detail was thought out and con-

sidered through right down to the venue of the event. She explained that the venue reflected the open space, a space beyond boundaries, a space that would integrate our mind and body with nature. But most significantly she appreciated the efforts of all her team members who contributed generously to the preparation of the event and to living up to AWAM's objectives. Upon reflection, she definitely felt that the preparation and the day of the actual event effectively captured the spirit of AWAM. As for her dreams for the future of AWAM, Judith hoped that the spirit of AWAM will continue to live on for future generations to come besides

WAVES Issue No 2, January 2009

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Staff Movement: Sayonara to Honey, Elaine & RK Boo~~~ Compiled by Maisarah Muhd Najib. Interviewed by Bernie, Su-Lyn & Maisarah. Our team decided to track down three very important figures who left AWAM during the course of 2008 – Honey Tan, Elaine Siew and Boo Su-Lyn and got them to give their take on the experiences with AWAM. Honey Tan, the previous Executive Director, singled out her success in increasing the number of participants who participated in the discussion sessions for the Working Collective meetings as one of her most memorable contributions. In her words, “Participation not only by those who usually speak, but by those who found it more intimidating to speak out in these face-to -face situations.” The innovative ways in which AWAM deals with issues is what Honey like best about AWAM. According to her, outstanding ones include the WWRP and the White Ribbon Campaign involving MAN.V. Although the latter has received mixed reviews from AWAM-ites, Honey still believes that there is a need to work with men in dealing with violence against women and other issues relating to equality. Therefore, she hopes that it will be re-looked into so that it can be run more successfully. At AWAM, Honey said that she learnt more about detachment and

letting go. She also added that, “I remember telling the staff often that we cannot save the world, and that we can't change others, only how we re-act to their actions.” According to Honey, by keeping those thoughts in her head – it has helped her cope with AWAM better. When asked what her most notable contribution throughout her stint at AWAM, Elaine Siew, former Administrative Assistant, said that it was definitely AWAM's Treasure Hunt in July and AWAM's 20th Anniversary celebration. She also shared that her favourite part about AWAM is the people and the nature of AWAM as it is. “AWAM has been an essential platform for women from all walks of life. Here, they may seek any sort of help or advice that they need whenever trouble arises”. She also added that she's learnt quite a lot from AWAM. But most importantly, “Working in AWAM has instilled in me the confidence and selfesteem that I need when faced with frontier issues.” Su-Lyn the former Social Worker said that before joining AWAM, she had been a volunteer since 2005 – and later joined AWAM when she felt that she

was able to combine her love for counseling and her passion for social justice. According to Su-Lyn, her most notable contribution is in reviving the Anugerah support group which consists of domestic violence survivors. “With new members coming into the group, I hope that this group will continue to sustain itself, and maybe even spawn off more support groups for women in general,” she said. AWAM's passion in the fight for gender equality and commitment to collectivism is Su-Lyn's favourite part about AWAM. “Although collective decision-making is very difficult in a practical sense, I think that it is very good of AWAM to try and practise it nonetheless. It is also amazing to see the intense commitment and sacrifices that

some volunteers make for this cause,” said Su-Lyn. According to her, she has learned quite a few things at AWAM. Firstly, she learned that embracing diversity is necessary to achieving equality and nondiscrimination on all levels regardless of gender, race or religion among others. Secondly, she's learned that building personal relationships based on trust is very important in any group that strives for a cause, “If members are willing to embrace, trust and accept each other despite differences in values and beliefs, achieving goals is that much easier.” Lastly, Su-Lyn's last words for us: "Though I'm leaving AWAM, AWAM will always remain in my heart, and I wish her all the best in her ongoing battle for gender equality".

to Sofia Lim Siu Ching (President of AWAM) & Ben on the birth of their twins, Alex and Elsa, on 15 October 2008!

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WAVES Issue No 2, January 2009

Pudding, games and prezzies to end the year! By Maisarah Muhd Najib On the night of 19th of December 2008, AWAM had their annual Year End/Xmas Party which included fellow alumni of WWRP. This provided a great chance for WRRP-ers to get to know the people behind AWAM better. Some founding members and ‘old-timers’ were also present to lend a good blend of old and new members. AWAM’s immediate past president Judith was kind enough to host and prepare the dinner at her home which was attended by about 35 people. The food was great and nothing less than delicious, not forgetting the yummylicious chocolate pudding baked by Yasmin.

To keep up with the giving spirit, everyone was asked to attend bearing a gift valued no more than RM5. After a few hours of good food and chatting session, the party was kicked of with a short carolling session and games. Everyone's general knowledge (ranging from Marx to Harry Potter) was put to test with the first game – which was won by Team B! After a series of women’s only game everyone then gathered once again for the giftexchange session. The gift exchange session was filled with surprises as well as suspicion – for some can’t help but wonder whether

Photo credit: Ho Wai Ling the gift they received was actually valued less than RM5! Bless the extra generous soul! Siu Ching, the president, also surprised the party by dropping in with one of her twins and older girl Sarah who was over-

whelmed with the array of Santarina’s hats! The night continued with more fun activities, talks and laughter. It is without a doubt that everyone had a lovely night together.

The audience listened with rapt attention as the girls performed their skit presented along with slideshow of engaging pictures of women from all walks of life. Wai Ling, who is also in charge of this year’s event, hopes to continue last year’s success and will be trying to get the participants of the latest session of Amazing Race Asia to join them. So if you want to race along-

side Ida and Tania or hunt with Sam and Vince, make sure you participate in the 2009 hunt scheduled tentatively in July! Many able hands and willing hearts are needed to help plan the hunt. Please call AWAM if you are able to lend a hand in organising the event! You can also help by exciting your friends about the event!

They hunted for equal footing, what about you? by Malati Mal "Hunting for Equal Footing" was what the participants were looking for at last year’s AWAM Treasure hunt. Held at Berjaya Times Square, the event was both an enjoyable and informative one. Compared to its previous events such as the "Motor Hunt" in 2003, which was limited to women participants only, last year’s hunt stayed true to its theme and opened its doors to both males and children to enter the competition allowing them to participate on equal footing. According to Wai Ling, the organising chairperson of the Treasure Hunt committee, last year’s event had an increase in the number of its participants from 300 to 650

people. One pull factor for last year’s hunt was the star-studded guests who were the participants from The Amazing Race Asia Season 2. The Racers not only handed out prizes sponsored by Reebok for the lucky draw, but also joined each participating group to help out in the treasure hunt. Kids were especially excited to be able to race side by side with their favourite TV idols. Apart from that, the members from the Writers for Women’s Rights Program (WWRP) were also there to perform their pollylogue session which was a short skit with excerpts taken from their book.

WAVES Issue No 2, January 2009

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By Farlina Said

Often when speaking of feminism, it is the hasher, harder images of women engaging in activities that are regarded as negative by society such as braburning and lesbianism that comes to mind on top of the shaking fists or the violent swing of rolling pins. As a matter of fact, despite knowing the existence of different forms of feminism –women who simply wish to preserve their bit of sovereignty – most would be content to impose judgment on the whole population of feminists as the above mentioned actions. Actions that are, as a matter of fact, stretches and exaggerations of the truth. The bra-burning incident was objects symbolising female oppression such as high-heels, girdles, curlers, bras and tweezers being discarded into trash cans. The incident had only occurred in 1968 to 1969 in reaction to the way the Miss America Beauty Pageant judged the value of a

woman’s beauty. Still, the items were not burned. Reports did mention that burning was suggested but shot down by local authorities due to safety reasons. Now, perhaps forty decades from the incident, Feminism is known as an ideology for the emotional, the angry and the anarchist. “Well, I don’t agree that feminism was based on emotions,” said SuLyn, member of AWAM. “It really depends on how you look at it. Essentially, based on history, feminism began not based on emotions but it was really based on rights… [I] think people mistake it for being based on emotions because we talk a lot about our experience and what we go through so people mistake it for an emotionally based movement which is not true,” she continued. “… [F]eminism isn’t just about a bunch of angry women… Feminism is really about people, whether man or woman

who are passionate about something and more importantly you do something about it,” Su-Lyn explained. However, it is impossible to separate the personal from the political, Karen Lai, 31 mentions. She is currently in the employment of Women’s Centre for Change, Penang. The very situation seems to be true for Nina (real name withheld upon request). It seemed a simple situation. The attention of a guy that seemed to border on unwelcome. They were friends. However, who was to explain the unease she felt when she received the seemingly harmless Instant Messages? Or the placement of her pictures online without her permission? Or the soft jibes in class that caused her to skip a week of class? “If I were to tell this guy, he’ll be like, ‘So? I didn’t break the law,” she said, stating the reason why she had not at-

tempted to take strong action against him. She did inform a lecturer of her concerns, but the lecturer’s reply was the common occurrence of such a case. “She said it even occurs in the office!” said Nina. It was a weakness she said she felt. The pressure of being victimised and held helpless. In addition to that would be the misconception that women are forever seeking attention, as she mentioned the reactions from her friends. They would aid her, she assured but, she did not want to appear overparanoid. What if it is all only in her head? That is why, to her, she believes feminism to be for women to stand up for their rights. “It’s about women not needing to be afraid of speaking up. Feminists can fight for themselves. They are not subjugated when they are harassed,” See page 8

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WAVES Issue No 2, January 2009

Politics or wrestling match? by Malati Mal

A shirtless man clad only in his kain pelikat, whose entire body is covered with angry, red claw marks is crying in pain while his wife applies medicine to his wounds. We hear how he got the scratches from his wife’s comment while dressing his wound: “Who asked you to sit in between Rafidah and Shahrizat

in the Wanita Umno Fellowship lunch?!” This is what the famous cartoonist Reggie Lee drew during the clash between the two leading female politicians in Malaysia, Tan Seri Rafidah Aziz and Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil, in his comic column in The Star. His depiction of their

feud as a catfight further perpetuates the common stereotype people use on women who are arguing. These two famous politicians were caught in a media frenzy. When reading about it in the papers I felt as if I was reading a commentary on a wrestling match, from sensational front-page headlines like “Wanita Face-Off”, to side by side full page interviews. We seldom see news related to female politicians when reading the papers, I wonder however why this issue is given such extensive coverage,

...from previous page

thought to take those of different races into consideration. “I think the evolution of feminism over time -through which we have seen the many streams or types of feminism emerge -- is symbolic of how it is fluid and reflective and allows itself to change in order to remain relevant to as many people as possible. I don't think it will be very useful if it was stuck in form and it would quickly become irrelevant if it does not address different issues that emerge over time,” said Vizla Kumaresen, 29, member of AWAM. Feminism, as any form of activism would, burns best with a fire that suits. It is not a free-forrent cloak that can be

donned at the turn of the weather. “… [A] lot of it starts with being conscious, being aware of the issues. It’s just about having that interest and if you have that interest there, you’ll find the time. You’ll find the energy somehow to put the time into it,” said Karen. It is different tracks of thought. Different approaches. Different ways of fighting for a cause that perhaps gave a spark somewhere deep within. “I’m not sure if I’m a feminist,” Pei Ling, 21, student at Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman admitted. But there is this poster that says ‘You think you are not a feminist? But you want equal education

Nina declared. However, feminism, being an ideology, does not belong to a single school of thought. The history of feminism was written with the first wave – an effort to earn women the right to vote. Eventually, it was granted in the year 1928 in Britain. The second wave (beginning 1960s), seek to end discrimination while the third wave, from the early 1990s, continued the goals of the second wave only leaning towards a more subjective interpretation of feminism. Where the second wave were essentialists, insisting on only one interpretation, the third wave called for feminist

when at this time our country, along with others were undergoing economic problems. The Rafidah vs Shahrizat news was in the front page, while to read on the growing numbers of MNEs that were being closed down I had to flip to page 4. This method of pitting one women against another which is being done by the media is in a way instigating the readers to pick a side, turning a serious issue into what I said earlier, a wrestling match. The cartoonist, while trying to make light of the issue had helped the public, to a certain extent, shape their opinion on the behaviour of women (in politics) from a particular slant. Whether a cartoonist or a columnist, it is important for those in the media to rise above drawing comparisons with typical old fashion stereotypes and present their commentaries in a more challenging and mature way.

opportunity? You want equal job opportunity? You want equal promotion opportunity? And you think you’re not a feminist? Think again,’ Pei Ling continued. “Yeah, I want equal job opportunity. I want equal education opportunity. I don’t want to be discriminated just because I’m a girl, I don’t get promoted. I guess I’m a feminist in that way,” Pei Ling declared. There are some strands of feminism that I do not agree with, said Su -Lyn. “That doesn’t make me any less of a feminist... I have my own stand on how feminism is.” Su-Lyn stated.

WAVES Issue No 2, January 2009

Services

WWRP & Chit Chatters

by Apsara Murale AWAM has been providing counselling, legal information, and a support group to assist women who are victims of violence, besides promoting greater understanding and appreciation of women's issues and gender equality. Ho Wai Ling, Services Coordinator, explained how chambering students, Photo credit: who volMelody Fayeunteer at Lynn Song AWAM to give legal information on a daily basis, have gained experience in handling cases, including child custody. According to her, the main problem with these cases is that the women who seek advice have no knowledge or awareness of their legal rights, and are more inclined to not lodge a report against their abusive husbands for fear that they will lose custody of their children. Boo Su-Lyn, former social worker at AWAM, worked with a team of para counsellors to provide counselling. They provide face-to-face and telephone counselling. She noted that although it is better to have face-to-face counselling as it enables thorough counselling, a vast majority of cases are handled through the phone. A notable Services project is their collaboration with Sisters in Islam to undertake outreach programmes in rural areas to educate the public of their legal rights in family matters. The Services committee has also established links with other service providers such as hospitals, the police force and

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by Apsara Murale welfare department for the past ten years to promote understanding and awareness of gender equality and women's issues. Yet despite the hard efforts put in by Services, both Ho Wai Ling and SuLyn felt that the response is not generally positive, citing a lack of awareness and support amongst the public and volunteers. Su-Lyn gave the example of how irregular some clients are coming in for follow up counselling while Wai Ling cited the lack of support when it comes to volunteers. She felt that more information should be provided to encourage ‘sleeping’ volunteers and the public to help make the programmes run by Services a better success. The most notable accomplishment so far in Services is the faithful service of six trained para counsellors, even though clients have been irregular. Su-Lyn and Wai Ling noted that although on average there are only two clients a day, the six of them continued to volunteer consistently from the period of May 2008 to December 2008. The volunteers are trained by AWAM for two months before undertaking para counselling. The training covers areas like feminism, human rights, counselling skills and counselling theories. This is to ensure that the volunteers are gender sensitised and understand AWAM’s stand on feminism and women’s issues before they take on the role as para counsellors. Su-Lyn felt that there were still many areas that Services could improve on, one of which was to implement more effective

Throughout the year 2008, the WWRP and the Chit Chatters, which are part of AWAM's Public Education Committee, have been actively involved in educating and encouraging discussion amongst young women about women's rights and other human rights issues affecting them in today's globalised world. Ng Tze Yeng, WWRP and Chit Chatters Coordinator, was proud to say that the WWRP have been doing great work in getting women interested and active in feminist activism, apart from building a sense of solidarity among the participants of the last WWRP 6 held from November 13 to 16 at the La Salle Hall in Petaling Jaya. As for Chit Chatters she said that they were constantly engaged in discussions that challenged their assumptions about society and themselves. She reckoned the most notable achievement was the presence of new members and their involvement with not just the WWRP but AWAM as well. This is a positive outcome because it helps to ease the problem of the lack of volunteers. Besides that, the recent workshop has encouraged WWRPers in

going out, speaking to the public and working with a new team for the WWRP workshop. With regards to the Chit Chatters, they have recently organised a two day ethnicity workshop with students from different local universities and diverse backgrounds. Tze Yeng explained how she and her team felt nervous because it was the first time they were broaching a difficult topic which hit close to the hearts of many Malaysians. However, they managed to pull through and the result was positive and it was an enriching experience. Although there were many new members who were enthusiastic about being actively involved with AWAM and the WWRP, Tze Yeng hopes that in 2009 she will be able to see more parPhoto credit: ticipants being more Melody Faye assertive -Lynn Song and taking on leadership roles in activities organised by AWAM. Their voices and talents are much needed empowerment to help AWAM to realise its dreams and goals.

supervision of para counsellors. This is to ensure uniformity in their services. But she explained that this might be difficult if there is a lack of human resource or if there are too few clients who come in for face-to-face counseling; it is generally difficult to supervise para counsellors who counsel via the telephone. As for encouraging more volunteers and pub-

lic support, Wai Ling hopes that people in general will be more empowered to take the initiative to bring their issues to light through different forms of the media, such as writing to newspapers or community radio. She also hopes that the Anugerah support group will continue its outreach programme efforts and that the para counseling unit will be maintained.

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WAVES Issue No 2, January 2009

Public Education by RK Boo

The Public Education Committee has done tremendous work in informing the public on gender and human rights issues. It is led by Haslinah Yaacob (Coordinator) and Betty Yeoh (Public Education, Events and Advocacy Manager). At the time of writing, Haslinah Yaacob was not available for an interview. Hence, comments on the evaluation and hopes of the Public Education committee are taken from Betty Yeoh and Ho Yock Lin, active members of the committee. The Public Education committee has run much training last year, mostly with students. According to Betty, schools have made repeat requests from AWAM for additional training, which indicates that the schools must have found the training useful.

However, Betty and Yock Lin felt that there is a need to assess the direct impact of trainings on youth. Betty suggested that one way of assessing such impact is to plan future trainings with school programmes over a two or three year span. In terms of the committee’s work with alliance groups, alliance group members are enabled to carry out Young Person Take Charge (YPTC) trainings at schools. The Chit-Chatters and Writers for Women’s Rights Programme (WWRP) have recently been put under the purview of the Public Education committee. Betty suggested that in order to strengthen impact, the WWRP can synergize with other trainers. Betty noted that the accomplishment of the Public Education commit-

tee includes the involvement of AWAM as module writers and trainers in Women's Rights and CEDAW (Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women) training in Suhakam, as well as in the Gender Module in LPPKN (Women's Ministry) and the National Service training program. These involvements recognise AWAM’s specialty in the field of gender and women’s rights based on the CEDAW framework. In terms of improving the Public Education committee in 2009, Yock Lin suggested initiating a good action plan, grooming a pool of trainers and conducting quality trainings with impact. Betty added that we should increase the number of trainers who can train during working days, or to hire an additional

trainer due to the limited resources of AWAM members. She gave an additional suggestion of implementing a Training Roadmap to develop trainers and AWAM members. Also, trainings should be strategised – some training can be done to generate income while others are to create change. In terms of generating income, corporations can be targeted to provide sexual harassment trainings at a fee. Examples of trainings that create change are gender and rights training in National Service, and mobile outreach programs co-organised with Sisters in Islam (SIS) where community members are trained on laws affecting women.

Against Women) shadow report, and initial involvement in the CGG (Coalition for Good Governance) or JAG Women’s Task Force. In terms of improving the committee this year, Yock Lin said that the committee needs to set objectives that are in line with AWAM’s three-year plan, as well as to identify a suitable issue to lead advocacy work. One strategy that can be utilised is to source for appropriate members to join the committee and groom people to speak out. Betty added that clients of AWAM can advocate for laws to be more supportive towards women.

She also said that members of the Writers for Women’s Rights Programme (WWRP) can advocate issues through the media, while Yock Lin suggested working with AWAM’s Media Team. Yock Lin hopes that the committee this year will be able to focus on what AWAM is good at in order to create meaningful results. Betty also concurred with Yock Lin, and added that AWAM can either lobby women to understand their rights as encapsulated in the CEDAW framework, or to work on amending a particular law or policy for the next few years.

Advocacy & Lobbying by RK Boo The Advocacy & Lobbying committee is currently led by Ho Yock Lin, who is also a member of Empower, a sister organisation in the Joint Photo credit: Action Melody FayeGroup Lynn Song for Gender Equality (JAG). Betty is also an instrumental member of the Advocacy & Lobbying committee. Yock Lin and Betty commented that currently, the Advocacy & Lobbying committee mostly supports other coalitions or NGOs on campaigns,

projects or press statements. It has not taken the lead in advocating any particular issue. However, the Advocacy & Lobbying committee made a notable accomplishment last year by participating with JAG organisation members on the “Kotakan Kata” event, where participants presented their demands to the MPs at Parliament to fulfil their promises. This event was covered extensively by the press. Betty added that the committee was involved with the UPR (Universal Period Review) COMANGO (Coalition of Malaysian NGOs) report, the CEDAW (Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination