WAO: Press Conference on 16 Days of Activism

Joint Press Statement

16 Days of Activism
against Gender Violence
Campaign
by Women's Aid Organisation (WAO),
Amnesty International Malaysia (AI), Sisters in Islam (SIS),
All Women’s Action Society (AWAM) and Persatuan Kesedaran Komuniti Selangor (EMPOWER)

The 16 Days of Activism against Gender Violence Campaign, is an international campaign, used as an organizing strategy by individuals and groups around the world to call for the elimination of all forms of violence against women by raising awareness about gender-based violence as a human rights issue at the local, national, regional and international levels. This rallying cry lasts between November 25th and December 10th, with four significant dates to symbolically link violence against women and human rights and to emphasize that any such violence is a violation of human rights. The campaign is participated by over 2,000 organizations from over 130 countries.

In 2008, 16 Days of Activism against Gender Violence Campaign comes in conjunction with the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR).

Malaysian NGOs have chosen the theme “Defending Women; Defending Rights”, to convey a message to all that defending human rights is not complete without defending women’s rights. The theme advocates for the quest to end gender inequality, and to create a world free from violence, discrimination and injustice.

WAO emphasises that human rights of women are an inalienable part of the universal human rights. 29th November is now declared as International Women Human Rights Defenders Day, and WAO celebrates women activists who have advocated to free women from violence. We remember especially the thousands of women surviving domestic violence who face danger every day from their batterers but continue to defend themselves.

Amnesty's campaign to stop violence against women, launched in March 2004, is a contribution to the efforts of women's rights movements around the world. Amnesty collaborates with women's rights activists and groups who are working to expose and redress forms of violence. We investigate and expose acts of violence against women and demand that these violations are acknowledged, publicly condemned and redressed. Our campaign is designed to mobilise both men and women to counter violence and to use the power and persuasion of the human rights framework to stop violence against women.

Violence against women is never normal, legal or acceptable and should never be tolerated or justified. Everyone - individuals, communities, governments, and international bodies - has a responsibility to put a stop to it and to redress the suffering it causes.

SIS embraces the campaign as a defender for women and human rights. The campaign recognizes women's struggles, respects their diversity and forwards equality and justice for all.

AWAM hopes that during this period of 16 Days of Activism, all Malaysians will be able to join us and do something, no matter how small, towards ending violence and discrimination in all forms. Violence against women in Malaysia has reached epidemic proportions. The numbers of reported rape cases alone have doubled over the last four years, and with increasing brutality and impunity. To date, the perpetrators of the rapes and murders of Nurin Jazlin, Siti Syazwani, and many others have not been brought to book. At the same time, many of our rights as Malaysian women are under threat.

The Royal Malaysian Police statistics indicate that there were 3756 police reports on domestic violence and 3098 police reports on rape in 2007. In the first 9 months of 2008, WAO gave shelter to 51 battered women. WAO also provided counselling to 508 women on domestic violence and 35 women on rape and sexual assault. AWAM recorded a total of 105 domestic violence cases and 12 sexual assault cases in the first nine months of this year.

For EMPOWER, a human rights based organisation which promotes human rights, democracy and good governance, every violence is a human rights violation. Gender-based violence violates women's rights therefore violating human rights. Hence, EMPOWER celebrates 16 Days of Activism to promote human rights to all human beings.

In Malaysia, Women’s Aid Organisation (WAO) joined this campaign in 1998. WAO began this campaign in Malaysia by working with The Star newspaper to produce a 16-day series on Violence Against Women. The campaign grew with more partners when Amnesty International Malaysia (AI), Malaysian AIDS Council (MAC) and Sisters in Islam (SIS) joined WAO in 2004.

This year, we welcome another 2 new partners, All Women’s Action Society (AWAM) and Persatuan Kesedaran Komuniti Selangor (EMPOWER) but will not be joined by Malaysian AIDS Council (MAC).

Therefore, WAO, in collaboration with Amnesty International Malaysia (AI), Sisters in Islam (SIS), All Women’s Action Society (AWAM) and Persatuan Kesedaran Komuniti Selangor (EMPOWER), is experimenting with online activism by setting a group, on the world’s most popular social networking website, Facebook called WAO - 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence in Malaysia. This group was set up on 25 November 2008 and has 283 members till date.

Hence, we would like to urge the public to join us by becoming a member of this Facebook group, participate in the online activities, and get involved in the fight against violence against women.

GALLERY