Changing mindset the hardest part

ON September 1995, we made a promise to eliminate discrimination and achieve gender equality at the Fourth World Conference on Women. Themed “Action for Equality, Development and Peace”, the conference was attended by over 30,000 women activists from all over the world. At the parallel NGO Conference, we lobbied government delegates from 189 nations, and hammered out commitments from them and civil society to act upon to bring about gender equality and women’s empowerment. The global political will was infectious.

The Malaysian government delegation was led by Tun Dr Siti Hasmah. I’m stating the obvious here, but we have come full circle.

Out of this conference came the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, the most progressive blueprint ever for advancing women’s rights. The blueprint spelled out 12 critical areas of concerns accompanied by specific strategies and actions:

> Women and the environment; > Women in power and decision-making;

> The girl child;

> Women and the economy; > Women and poverty;

> Violence against women; > Human rights of women; > Education and training of women;

> Institutional mechanisms for the advancement of women; > Women and health;

> Women and the media; and > Women and armed conflict. 1995 was special too, as the government hurriedly ratified the Convention to Eliminate All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (Cedaw) before we went to Beijing.

Five years after Beijing 1995, the government reported in 2000 on the progress of implementing the Platform for Action and reiterated that “Malaysia is very much cognisant of her obligations as a signatory to Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (Cedaw) and pledges made to the implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action. Malaysia is committed to realising women’s rights as human rights.”

Many legislative reforms have been undertaken: the highest law in the country (Article 8(2) of the Federal Constitution) prohibits discrimination on the basis of gender; the Pensions Act 1980 was amended in 2002 so that widows do not lose their husband’s pension if they remarry; the Land (Group Settlement Areas) Act allows wives or ex-wives or the next-of-kin of settlers who have jointly developed their estate to become joint owners of the land settlement; the Penal Code was amended in July 2006 to provide greater deterrence for sexual related offences; and the AntiTrafficking In Persons Act 2007 Act assured that trafficked victims would not be prosecuted for illegal entry or charged with entering the country with fraudulent documents that were provided by traffickers.

As we celebrate the first International Women’s Day in our new Malaysia today, we must ask if all the promises and pledges that were made have been delivered.

Well, all is still not good for women in Malaysia as political, cultural and economic subordination continue. Malaysia is ranked 104 out of the 144 countries in the Global Gender Gap Report 2018; women make up only two-fifths of the labour force; political participation is less than 20%; a disproportionate responsibility for unpaid care work is borne by women; and discrimination thrives in marriage, polygamy, divorce, financial rights, and custody and guardianship of children in family laws and the tough family court system.

In May 2018, the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry began discussions on a Gender Equality law, Sexual Harassment law and, equally important, cleaning up the standard operating procedures related to various policies involving women and children.

Sex education (this time for real, we hope) would be rolled out in schools in the face of Health Ministry figures showing that between 2014 and 2018, 10 teenage pregnancies were reported per day.

Cases of abandoned babies directed a determined call to assure pregnant women in crisis that help is available by calling 1599.

Child marriage for non-Muslims was abolished in Sabah. Nonetheless, educating all communities on the perils of child marriage has apparently begun.

It was announced that stalking would be recognised as an offence in the Penal Code with a restraining order against stalkers in the Criminal Procedure Code.

While law and policy reforms are important, in my view, changing mindsets is the hardest challenge. Society still views girls and women as second-class citizens. Violence against women (VAW) is the clearest evidence that women suffer disproportionately.

Every day throughout the world, one out of three women are sexually assaulted, and an average of 137 women are killed by a partner or family member.

In Malaysia, we must not forget the cases of transgender women who were beaten to death. One was thrown out of a moving car on New Year’s Day in 2019.

Nine out of 100 women suffer domestic violence.

There is still a nauseous prevailing attitude towards women that allows for wolf whistling, inappropriate touching, demeaning language, sexism, beating and killing. Femininity is viewed as weak and inferior while masculinity is accepted as superior.

If we had taken baby steps way back in 1995 on the Platform for Action and put in place sustained efforts to “condemn violence against women and refrain from invoking any custom, tradition or religious consideration to avoid their obligations with respect to its elimination as set out in the Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women; or exercise due diligence to prevent, investigate and, in accordance with national legislation, punish acts of violence against women, whether those acts are perpetrated by the State or by private persons”, we could have closed the gender gap further.

If we had adopted an intersectional approach and diligently delivered on all the 12 areas and not in silos, we may now have 50% of women in Parliament, child care centres for working parents, a decent wage, and more! If only.

I am not even highlighting the recommendations accepted by the government in the Universal Periodic Review, Cedaw reviews or Sustainable Development Goals. Suffice to say that there are any numbers of documents, including the National Action Plan for Women, that contain numerous actions to ensure women have a decent and lovelier life in Malaysia.

Today, as we celebrate International Women’s Day, we come together as a movement to hold the government accountable as we interrogate our international and national obligations, including the promises in the Pakatan Harapan Manifesto.

Promises were made on May 9, 2018. To fulfil all these promises and those made 24 years ago, one clear strategy is to use gender mainstreaming and not just relegate all the work to the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry.

Here is an idea worth spreading – the Economic Planning Unit or a central body could synergise gender equality measures in law, policy and practice across every ministry and every agency.

Most of all, we need to challenge toxic mindsets and not yield to patriarchy. We can do better for women in Malaysia.

IVY JOSIAH Women’s rights activist Kuala Lumpur