Press Statement by NGO Shadow Report Group
The Government of Malaysia
to be reviewed by the
CEDAW Committee during the 35th CEDAW session, 24 May 2006
5 May 2006

The Government of Malaysia has submitted its initial and second periodic reports on the status of women in the country to the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW). The review of reports from various governments is scheduled to take place at the 35th CEDAW session at the United Nations in New York from 15 May to 2 June 2006.

The Malaysian Government, represented by a delegation led by the Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development, will report to CEDAW on 24 May 2006. The Committee of 23 independent experts will evaluate the fulfillment of the government's obligations with respect to the implementation of the CEDAW Convention.

Interested NGOs have jointly prepared an NGO Shadow Report that critiques the government report as well as offers additional information on the situation of women in the country. This project, begun in 2003 at the initiative of the National Council of Women's Organisations (NCWO), has involved several women's groups, academics and individuals who have contributed important information and analyses on the status of women in Malaysia. The NGO Shadow Report was submitted to CEDAW earlier this year.

In addition, in February 2006 the Joint Action Group on Gender Equality (JAG) also submitted to CEDAW a List of Critical Issues affecting women in Malaysia, to assist the Committee in formulating questions for the Malaysian Government.

We are pleased that the questions CEDAW has posed to the Malaysian Government do reflect the concerns of women's groups. Notably, the questions emphasise the need for a concrete plan of action and for timelines on the proposed reform of laws and policy by the Malaysian Government.

To strengthen women's groups' advocacy, six representatives from women's groups will attend the 35th CEDAW session. These representatives are part of the International Women's Rights Action Watch, Asia Pacific (IWRAW Asia Pacific) "Global to Local" programme, which brings together women activists from countries whose governments are reporting to CEDAW. Prior to the upcoming CEDAW session, IWRAW Asia Pacific will provide training for women activists to effectively lobby the Committee and plan for follow-up actions.

The six representatives are:

Dr. Hamidah Karim (NCWO); Zaitun Kasim (Sisters In Islam); Ivy Josiah, Meera Samanther and Vizla Kumaresan (WAO); and Zarizana Abdul Aziz (WCC).

The Shadow Report and List of Critical Issues acknowledge the many positive achievements and policy changes made by the Government to ensure women's rights, but point out that there remain areas of concern.

On 22 May the six representatives will make an oral presentation to CEDAW on the following areas of concern for further concrete action by the Malaysian Government:

• The need for government policy and development planning to incorporate and mainstream women's concerns in a more comprehensive and holistic manner. Past practices of isolating women's issues to one chapter of the Malaysia Plans have failed to ensure that the concerns and issues affecting women are addressed in all fields. There is also a need to consider the impact of globalisation and trade liberalisation on women's lives.
  
  
• The increased use of religion to discriminate against women in formulating prejudicial laws and practices such as moral policing, prescribing "appropriate" attire, gender segregation, and victimisation of sexual minorities.
  
  
• The need to pay special attention to marginalised groups of women who are vulnerable to discrimination. These groups include migrant domestic workers, trafficked women, refugees, asylum seekers, stateless women and sexual minorities.
  
  
• The recent misogynist statement by a Member of Parliament reinforces the urgent need to institute on-going gender sensitisation programmes for all levels of the government machinery, from educators to politicians.

The NGO Shadow Report Group recognises it has an important role to play in utilising this UN mechanism to hold governments accountable. When the Malaysian Government ratified the CEDAW Convention in 1995, it committed itself to fulfilling its obligations in promoting substantive equality for women. We call upon the Malaysian Government to keep its promise and to go one step further by ratifying the Optional Protocol to the CEDAW Convention and removing its remaining reservations to the Convention.

The following is a list of the organisations involved in preparing the NGO Shadow Report:

• National Council of Women's Organisations (NCWO)
• All Women's Action Society (AWAM)
• Center for Orang Asli Concerns (COAC)
• Democratic Action Party (DAP)
• Department of Agriculture
• Federal Family Planning Association Malaysia (FFPAM)
• Federal Land Consolidation and Rehabilitation Authority (FELCRA)
• Federal Land Development Authority (FELDA)
• Lembaga Pertubuhan Peladang (LPP)
• Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA)
• Malaysian Confederation of Disabled Persons
• Malaysian Trade Union Congress - Women's Section (MTUC)
• Methodist Women's Organisation
• National Council of Women in Development (NACIWID)
• Partners of Community Organisations (PACOS)
• Persatuan Sahabat Wanita
• Puteri UMNO
• Rubber Industry Smallholders Development Authority (RISDA)
• Sabah Women's Action Resource Group (SAWO)
• Sarawak Women for Women (SWWS)
• Sisters in Islam (SIS)
• Tenaganita
• Universiti Malaysia Sawarak (UNIMAS)
• Universiti Sains Malaya (USM)
• University Malaya (UM)
• Women and Health Association (WAKE)
• Women's Aid Organisation (WAO)
• Women's Candidacy Initiative (WCI)
• Women's Center for Change (WCC)
• Women's Development Collective (WDC)
  

More resources:

• "Malaysia needs new laws aimed specifically at ending discrimination on basis of sex, gender, say committee’s expert members", Committee on Elimination of Discrimination against Women 731st & 732nd Meetings (AM & PM), 24 May 2006
• Malaysia: Combined Initial and Second Periodic Report submitted to the CEDAW Committee
• Malaysia: NGO Shadow Report on the Initial and Second Periodic Report of the Government of Malaysia
• NGO Statement to the Committee for the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women
  on the Initial and Second Periodic Report from the Government of Malaysia, 22 May 2006
• Press Statement on CEDAW by NGO Shadow Report Group
• WAO Research & Advocacy Work on CEDAW