With no respect for the rights and dignity of those who are 'different', the government through its overzealous agencies has been committing atrocities of the worst kind.
COMMENT
The very first Article of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states: “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.”
To the “powers-that-be” of this country, the above declaration if anything is meaningless. With no respect for the rights and dignity of another being, the government through its overzealous agencies has been committing atrocities of the worst kind to the marginalised communities.
For instance, religious scholars devoid of any compassion scoff at the existence of transsexuals or mak nyahs, claming that all will be well once these people are “rehabilitated”.
Stories of transsexuals here being ridiculed and humiliated once caught reveal the depths of disrespect the government has, reflected by the manner it treats these group of people.
Until the early 1980s, transsexuals were not a condemned lot. They had the freedom to undergo the sex reassignment surgery (SRS) and amend their identity card to reflect their post-SRS identity. Quite a few did undergo the SRS, with some even tying the knot and adopting children, going on to raise a family.
But a fatwa in 1983 changed all that. Transsexuals were regarded as “persona non grata” in their own home country. The religious edict banned the SRS and cross-dressing on Malaysian Muslims.
Perak mufti besar Harussani Zakaria who helped establish the 1983 fatwa had this to say in defending the harsh approach against transsexuals:
“You cannot be transsexual, you are either a woman or a man. Why do they want to go against Allah? If God has created you as a boy, then act like a boy.”
Harussani was and is still adamant that transsexuals should use their “willpower” and adopt traditional lifestyles.
Disrespecting those who are ‘different’
With the never ending abuse on transsexuals having turned into a nightmare, the government is now targetting boys who are effeminate by nature, derogatorily called “sissies”.
On April 18, the New Straits Times under its heading “Besut boot camp for sissies” reported that the government would send 66 Muslim school boys with effeminate tendencies to a boot camp.
The Terengganu Education Department’s discriminatory action would see the 66 boys attending a “self-development course” which includes physical education and religious classes conducted by motivational speakers.
Department director Razali Daud said the 66 boys showed behaviours that were not “usually displayed by a normal male of their age.”
“We understand that some people end up as mak nyah or homosexuals, but we will do our best to limit the number,” Razali was quoted as saying.
Appalled by that news, the Joint Action Group for Gender Equality, a coalition of women’s groups, said the Educational Department’s policy to regulate the behaviour of students went against basic tenants of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) which Malaysia ratified in 1995.
“The act of identifying and singling out boys who behave effeminately is highly discriminatory bordering on predatory. Article 2 of the CRC dictates that all children should be accorded equal rights and treatment without exception. The Education Department of Besut is clearly in violation of this,” JAG in its letter to the editor said.
School supposed to be neutral
JAG said the boys’ involved have been denied and persecuted for the expression of their personalities and identities.
“Ideally, school is supposed to provide a safe and neutral space for children to develop without fear of recrimination for being themselves.”
JAG asked if the 66 boys had been consulted on wanting to attend the “boot camp”.
“If the boys had been consulted, were they agreeable to attending the behaviour corrective programme. In this matter, clearly the opinion of the children had not been consulted.
“We would also like to know if the parents had been consulted on the purpose of such camps. Children seem to be the last to be consulted in matters that most affect their best interests, that is in violation of Article 2 of the CRC,” JAG wrote.
JAG said the Besut boot camp served as a reminder that the existence of people who do not conform to accepted sexual orientation and gender identities (SOGI) was not welcomed.
“Corrective boot camps to ‘fix’ children and individuals must not be condoned because it violates the rights of people who are perceived as ‘different’.”
No end to prejudice
The Besut boot camp has been vehemently objected as it promotes the much pervasive homophobia as well as prejudice.
Meanwhile, Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (Forum-Asia) executive director Yap Swee Seng in a letter urging the protection of the rights of the children and sexual minorities, said among others:
“There were ‘insufficient efforts made to address discrimination based on sexual orientation’ in Malaysia. The UN Human Rights Council also recommended the Malaysian government to de-penalise homosexuality during the Universal Periodic Review of Malaysian 2009.
“To our regret, however, the Malaysian government is yet to demonstrate any meaningful effort to stop discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. Furthermore, we are extremely appalled that the discrimination has in fact been practised by the educational agency of the government. “
Forum-Asia’s open letter was addressed to the government of Malaysia, Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin in his capacity as the education minister and to the human rights commission, Suhakam, chairperson Hasry Agam.
Sad state of affairs
The blatant disregard shown by the government in respecting individual right to life and dignity has resulted in the marginalised groups being ostracised and condemned.
The discrimination continues in the form of terrifying these communities through the notorious raids on nightclubs, using the police and religious authorities like the Islamic Affairs Department (Jawi) to hound and shame them.
It does not end there. The transsexuals find themselves running helter-skelter each time the raids occur, resulting in some suffering serious injuries due to the falls faced while running for cover.
For those who end up being caught, the nightmare begins when at the cell they are stripped naked, ridiculed and humiliated – all because they have the courage to be true to their existence.
In the face of all this, the government hangs on to the belief it can take liberty of dictating the individual’s identity and personal preference.
COMMENT
The very first Article of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states: “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.”To the “powers-that-be” of this country, the above declaration if anything is meaningless. With no respect for the rights and dignity of another being, the government through its overzealous agencies has been committing atrocities of the worst kind to the marginalised communities.
For instance, religious scholars devoid of any compassion scoff at the existence of transsexuals or mak nyahs, claming that all will be well once these people are “rehabilitated”.
Stories of transsexuals here being ridiculed and humiliated once caught reveal the depths of disrespect the government has, reflected by the manner it treats these group of people.
Until the early 1980s, transsexuals were not a condemned lot. They had the freedom to undergo the sex reassignment surgery (SRS) and amend their identity card to reflect their post-SRS identity. Quite a few did undergo the SRS, with some even tying the knot and adopting children, going on to raise a family.
But a fatwa in 1983 changed all that. Transsexuals were regarded as “persona non grata” in their own home country. The religious edict banned the SRS and cross-dressing on Malaysian Muslims.
Perak mufti besar Harussani Zakaria who helped establish the 1983 fatwa had this to say in defending the harsh approach against transsexuals:
“You cannot be transsexual, you are either a woman or a man. Why do they want to go against Allah? If God has created you as a boy, then act like a boy.”
Harussani was and is still adamant that transsexuals should use their “willpower” and adopt traditional lifestyles.
Disrespecting those who are ‘different’
With the never ending abuse on transsexuals having turned into a nightmare, the government is now targetting boys who are effeminate by nature, derogatorily called “sissies”.
On April 18, the New Straits Times under its heading “Besut boot camp for sissies” reported that the government would send 66 Muslim school boys with effeminate tendencies to a boot camp.
The Terengganu Education Department’s discriminatory action would see the 66 boys attending a “self-development course” which includes physical education and religious classes conducted by motivational speakers.
Department director Razali Daud said the 66 boys showed behaviours that were not “usually displayed by a normal male of their age.”
“We understand that some people end up as mak nyah or homosexuals, but we will do our best to limit the number,” Razali was quoted as saying.
Appalled by that news, the Joint Action Group for Gender Equality, a coalition of women’s groups, said the Educational Department’s policy to regulate the behaviour of students went against basic tenants of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) which Malaysia ratified in 1995.
“The act of identifying and singling out boys who behave effeminately is highly discriminatory bordering on predatory. Article 2 of the CRC dictates that all children should be accorded equal rights and treatment without exception. The Education Department of Besut is clearly in violation of this,” JAG in its letter to the editor said.
School supposed to be neutral
JAG said the boys’ involved have been denied and persecuted for the expression of their personalities and identities.
“Ideally, school is supposed to provide a safe and neutral space for children to develop without fear of recrimination for being themselves.”
JAG asked if the 66 boys had been consulted on wanting to attend the “boot camp”.
“If the boys had been consulted, were they agreeable to attending the behaviour corrective programme. In this matter, clearly the opinion of the children had not been consulted.
“We would also like to know if the parents had been consulted on the purpose of such camps. Children seem to be the last to be consulted in matters that most affect their best interests, that is in violation of Article 2 of the CRC,” JAG wrote.
JAG said the Besut boot camp served as a reminder that the existence of people who do not conform to accepted sexual orientation and gender identities (SOGI) was not welcomed.
“Corrective boot camps to ‘fix’ children and individuals must not be condoned because it violates the rights of people who are perceived as ‘different’.”
No end to prejudice
The Besut boot camp has been vehemently objected as it promotes the much pervasive homophobia as well as prejudice.
Meanwhile, Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (Forum-Asia) executive director Yap Swee Seng in a letter urging the protection of the rights of the children and sexual minorities, said among others:
“There were ‘insufficient efforts made to address discrimination based on sexual orientation’ in Malaysia. The UN Human Rights Council also recommended the Malaysian government to de-penalise homosexuality during the Universal Periodic Review of Malaysian 2009.
“To our regret, however, the Malaysian government is yet to demonstrate any meaningful effort to stop discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. Furthermore, we are extremely appalled that the discrimination has in fact been practised by the educational agency of the government. “
Forum-Asia’s open letter was addressed to the government of Malaysia, Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin in his capacity as the education minister and to the human rights commission, Suhakam, chairperson Hasry Agam.
Sad state of affairs
The blatant disregard shown by the government in respecting individual right to life and dignity has resulted in the marginalised groups being ostracised and condemned.
The discrimination continues in the form of terrifying these communities through the notorious raids on nightclubs, using the police and religious authorities like the Islamic Affairs Department (Jawi) to hound and shame them.
It does not end there. The transsexuals find themselves running helter-skelter each time the raids occur, resulting in some suffering serious injuries due to the falls faced while running for cover.
For those who end up being caught, the nightmare begins when at the cell they are stripped naked, ridiculed and humiliated – all because they have the courage to be true to their existence.
In the face of all this, the government hangs on to the belief it can take liberty of dictating the individual’s identity and personal preference.
No comments:
Post a Comment