International Women's Day (8 March) is an occasion marked by women's groups all around the world, where voices are gathered in a celebratory shout in recognition of the struggles and victories of the women's movement for equality, justice, peace and development. This date has commemorated by the United Nations in its recognition of the full participation and empowerment of women in all aspects, and is marked in many countries as a national holiday. Not only is it a day to reflect upon the triumphs and challenges of the women's movement, it is also a day to plan for future strategies in eliminating all forms of discrimination against women.

Here in Malaysia, International Women's Day has been observed through advocating and lobbying for law and policy reform on issues that affect gender-equality and non-discrimination.

This year, one focus of the women's movement is to ensure adequate protection as well as accessibility to justice and redress through government legislation on domestic violence, rape, sexual harassment and foreign domestic worker abuse. We urge the fulfillment of the government's commitment to ensure non-discrimination against women as obliged under Article 8(2) of the Federal Constitution and as ratified under the Convention Against All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) in 1995.

Violence against women arises from a society that is structured on the basis of inequality between the genders, where men are proffered dominance and superiority over women, and where this unearned authority is exerted through force and violence.

Women's Aid Organisation (WAO) together with other NGOs (Women's Centre for Change, All Women's Action Society, Sisters in Islam, Women's Development Collective, Sahabat Wanita, PS The Children and Women's Candidacy Initiative) advocate for the eradication of this unequal power relations by working not only with civil society, but also with government machineries through legal and policy reform.

Some of the joint efforts include The Joint Action Group Against Violence Against Women, better known as JAG, on domestic violence, which looks at the substance of the Domestic Violence Act as well as the issues in the implementation, especially with regards to the attitudes behind it. One of the greatest concerns is the issue of legal protection, where we are working to minimise the bureaucratic processes that a survivor has to go through, and to ensure her immediate legal protection. WAO has been monitoring the Domestic Violence Act since 1996, and JAG has actively been part of the National Steering Committee formed by the Ministry of Women and Family Development which looks at various aspects of violence against women in terms of law and policy.

Another strategy is the Anti-rape Task Force set up in 2001 to look at the gaps in the laws relating to rape. Currently, the Task Force is working on a Memorandum with amendments to the Penal Code to for a wider definition of rape - including penetration by objects - and to introduce Aggravated Rape where the circumstances of the offence results in greater harm to the survivor, in example gang-rape; as well as amendments to the Evidence Act and Criminal Procedures Code to better ensure a non-traumatic journey for the rape survivor through the criminal justice system.

The JAG on Sexual Harassment on the other hand, has produced a proposed Sexual Harassment Bill that aims to protect women and men against unwelcomed sexual advances, and to mandate an accessible redress mechanism for those who have been violated. The Ministry of Women and Family Development is working together with JAG to facilitate a discussion with various stakeholders in this matter, including the Ministry of Human Resources, the Malaysian Employers Federation and the Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers.

Women's groups have also handed to the Ministry of Human Resources a Memorandum on the Right to Redress for Migrant Workers, to ensure that foreign domestic workers who have been abused will have real recourse to justice when they are abused. WAO also took this opportunity to push for the need of a standard employment contract for foreign domestic workers that clearly stipulates their rights as employees, including minimum wage and rest days. With the renewed attention placed on this issue, we urge the government to systematise employment procedures of foreign domestic workers that is also responsive to their rights and needs.

2002 saw the coming together of women's groups concerned about the issue of polygamy and Mulism women's rights to form a coalition that will work to promote the rights of women under the Syariah law.

The legal protection of women's right to be free from violence is crucial in demonstrating the government and nation's commitment to eradicating violence against women, and ensuring gender equality and the full participation of women in every facet of society. On this International Women's Day, we urge renewed support from every person in Malaysia to make this a reality.

Jaclyn Kee
Communications Officer

Related Articles:

• Joint Press Statement on International Women's Day
• International Women's Day 2003, Kuching, Sarawak