Kuala Lumpur, 24 November – KL Tower was lit up in orange today to celebrate this year’s International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women (IDEVAW) and 16 Days of Activism, beginning Saturday the 25th of November. The evening launch event, organised by The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Malaysia, brought together key stakeholders in the arena towards ending Gender Based Violence (GBV) to collectively and symbolically launch the global call to end violence against women in Malaysia.

Present at the event were Yang Berhormat Dato’ Sri Nancy Shukri, Minister of Women, Family & Community Development (KPWKM), Karima El Korri, United Nations Resident Coordinator for Malaysia, Singapore & Brunei Darussalam, Dr. Asa Torkelsson, UNFPA Malaysia’s Country Representative, Datuk Dr Maziah Che Yusoff, Secretary-General of the Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development and Dr Wan Nur Ibtisam Binti Wan Ismail, Director General of the Department of Women’s Development, alongside other key representatives from government, academia, and civil society.

In her welcoming remarks, Dr Asa Torkelsson began by highlighting the dark reality still faced by millions of women and girls today: “Violence against women and girls sadly remains one of the most pervasive human rights violations that continues to happen. According to the United Nations, globally, 736 million women - that is almost 1 in 3 - have been subjected to physical or sexual intimate partner violence, non-partner sexual violence, or both at least once in their lifetime.” She acknowledged the strides that Malaysia had made so far to address social, legislative and enforcement gaps in the battle against gender-based violence, and highlighted Malaysia’s regional successes including being the first Asian country to introduce a specific law on domestic violence (the Domestic Violence Act 1944), and being the first to develop the trailblazing One Stop Crisis Center (OSSC) to support victims of gender-based violence.

In the Minister’s keynote speech, YB Dato’ Sri Nancy Shukri reminded the audience that the impacts of violence against women were not limited to women, but had widespread societal ramifications. Not only were survivors less likely to participate meaningfully in their communities or labour force, she revealed that gender based violence also had the ability to break down family structures and perpetuate generational cycles of violence. Ultimately, the stunted development of women and their families can impact the socio-economic development of communities and countries as a whole.

“UN Women estimated that the global cost of violence against women amounted to a whopping 1.5 trillion US dollars, stemming from loss of employment and productivity, and major resources required for social services, the justice system, health-care agencies and employers. As a nation or as a global community, we are all worse off when women are disempowered,” she said.

In line with Malaysia’s international commitments to tackling violence and discrimination against women, the Minister described several ongoing government initiatives to address domestic violence: “Operationally, a Committee on Addressing Domestic Violence was established as an institutionalised multi-stakeholder platform for implementing and monitoring concerted efforts to address domestic violence. We are also in the final stages of updating JKM’s Guideline on Handling Domestic Violence Cases, which serves as a reference and guidance to the relevant agencies to coordinate and handle the cases effectively.” The Minister highlighted Malaysia’s recent strides in enacting gender-focused policy, including the Sexual Harassment Act, the Anti-Stalking Section in the Penal Code, and amendments to the Employment Act. She also cited the government’s commitment to gender-responsive budgeting, and lauded the ongoing efforts of dedicated Gender Focal Teams within each Ministry. In line with legislative developments, she hoped to continue launching nationwide sexual harassment awareness roadshows in the new year, especially upon the establishment of the new Anti-Sexual Harassment Tribunal. Lastly, she stressed that addressing violence was a shared responsibility between the government, the private sector and all Malaysians: “We must all play a part in ensuring our workplaces are environments of safety, where there is zero tolerance for harassment or violence of any kind. The private sector has an immense role to play in ensuring that workplace culture proactively evolves to become inclusive, non-discriminatory and in consideration of unpaid care work duties of all employees - female as well as male.”

A panel session titled “Identifying and Strategising Key Social and Legislative Investments needed towards ending Violence against Women in Malaysia” was then held, moderated by Tehmina Kaoosji, Independent Broadcast Journalist. The session drew on the expertise and experience of panellistsACP Siti Kamsiah Hassan, Principal Assistant Director, D11 Unit, PDRM, YBrs Dr Wan Nur Ibtisam, Director General, Women’s Department, KPWKM, Tengku Aira Tengku Razif, Assistant Representative, UNFPA Malaysia, and Sumitra Visvanathan, Executive Director, WAO. The launch event concluded with a press conference featuring the Minister Yang Berhormat Dato’ Sri Nancy Shukri, Datuk Dr Maziah Che Yusoff and Dr Wan Nur Ibtisam from the Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development, alongside Dr Asa Torkelsson and Tengku Aira Tengku Razif representing UNFPA Malaysia.

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View photos from the event here. 

Watch a recording of the panel discussion here.

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The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) is an agency under the UN that aims to deliver a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe and every young person's potential is fulfilled.

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