A woman's letter to the men of Malaysia

 

COMMENT Dear men of Malaysia,

In 2012, a woman in Delhi was brutally raped and murdered in a bus after an evening out with a friend. Her rapist is now on death row.

The story of this young woman, Jyoti Singh, 23, resonated across the globe - and when it hogged Malaysian social media, I didn't read a single comment saying she had it coming.

Her rapist and murderer however thinks she did.

Awaiting the hangman's noose, Mukesh Singh in a BBC interview which will air this Sunday said that Jyoti, whom he and his friends took turns to savage was to blame for the injuries which led to her death.

A woman out at night is inviting trouble, he said, and when it happened she should have just laid there instead of fighting back.

I would like to think that you, the Malaysian male, do not think the same, but reading the reactions that came out of a recent Friday sermon about women who don't cover their aurat does make me wonder.

There is not quite the need to recount the arguments for and against, the outcry that followed, nor the statistics that show that no, rape victims were not the ones scantily dressed walking about at night.

There is no need for that because you already know this. You know this because women's groups have been yelling this at the top of their lungs every time someone blames victims for their own rape.

But why is that? Why is it always the women who are made to defend themselves when such statements are made? Isn't this an insult to men?

Surely men are not beasts

Saying women are raped because of the way they dress is saying this: You, the men out there - you fathers, brothers, sons, friends and lovers of women - are all beasts who have no more control over your groin than your average mangy alley cat.

That you can hardly see a woman not covered from head to toe without wanting to pounce on her and if she does not give in, force yourself onto her. That for all your intellect and reason, the sight of a woman's skin turns you into an animal.

And if she is stupid enough to struggle like Jyothi who fought for her life as the men ripped her insides out, you will do just that - punish her for not just lying back and enjoying it.

No. I don't believe that you are like that.

You may sometimes make sexist jokes, or have different standards for women but I believe you are mostly kind, mostly responsible, mostly respectful of women.

You are not Mukesh Singh, counting the days to death thinking that you don't deserve to be sent to the gallows. That this stupid woman out at night had asked for it.

You are not Mukesh Singh, and no woman walking around at night or in daylight, dressed in any way would make you turn into Mukesh Singh.

And I hope the next time someone says men rape women because of the way she dresses, you would not let these people insult you like this.

That you will stand up and say “Not this man” and that you would not be the only one.

Much love,

Aidila

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AIDILA RAZAK is a member of the Malaysiakini team.

New group Lawa to empower women and fight violence

The Sun Daily
by Arlyn Aveline

KUALA LUMPUR: Women not empowered with knowledge of legal rights has been identified as one of the main causes of them becoming victims of violence.

To help them, a Legal Aid and Women's Advisory Centre or better known as Lawa was launched today with 10 women lawyers volunteering their legal services and assistance.

Lawa, a brainchild of Rosmah herself, was set up under the auspices by MCA as the first one-stop centre by a political party in Malaysia, providing services such as counselling and legal services for women regardless of their races.

Besides the lawyers, several legal experts assisted by 410 coordinators and 50 volunteers, all majoring in law from local universities will give legal assistance to abused and battered women.

Prime Minister's wife, Datin Paduka Seri Rosmah Mansor who launched the centre hopes this will not only give hope for women who want justice seen but also provide guidance for women on legal matters.

Accordance to police statistics, an average of 3,000 cases of violence against women were recorded every year.

Rosmah said she hoped there will more such centres established in each state to render legal services to affected women.

"I urge women who are victims of abuse and violence to come forward and seek legal assistance," she said.

To provide legal assistance according to Syariah and civil laws, the centre will collaborate or work together with the police legal Aid Department, Prime Ministry Department, Bar Council, Health Ministry, Ministry of Women, Family and Community department and Malaysia Counselling Association.

Meanwhile, MCA national wanita chief Datuk Heng Seai Kie said, the idea to form the centre came from Rosmah who mooted the idea last year.

She said they hoped to set up 205 Lawa branches nationwide with 13 of them at state level and 192 at divisional level.

Use 'secret weapon' on hubby, says Rosmah

Women should use their "secret weapon" instead of bugging their husbands to buy them things, said Rosmah Mansor.

The wife of Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak suggested that women employ their “soft touch” and powers of persuasion.

"Don't ask him too many things. Don't ask him 'I want this, or I want that', men do not like that, am I right? If he wants to give, he'll give it. You can hint, but don't ask and don't force them to get it for you.

"You can always persuade. We've got our secret weapon, so use it to the very best we can," she said amid a resounding applause.

Rosmah was speaking at the launch of MCA's Legal Advisory and Women's Aid Centre (Lawa), of which she is the patron.

Sharing her thoughts on relationships, she said that wives must obediently stand by their husbands, just as how she is with Najib.

They should selflessly serve their men, regardless of their profession.

"I'm sure men are not so boisterous. Don't fight them, be with them, work together with them. If they don't want to eat, you (should) still prepare their food, no matter if you're a doctor or a lawyer, you have to be there with them.

"Make sure that you stand by your husband when he needs you to stand by him, like I do," Rosmah added.

As such, she said that married couples should not be argumentative all the time, however, if it is done in moderation, slight arguments can lead to a better love life.

"After a little bit of argument and then you make up, you will find that your husband will love you a little bit better," she added as the crowd erupted in laughter.

On a more serious note, the PM's wife pointed out that education is important to ensure that boys are raised to be chivalrous.

Centre to help abused women

Meanwhile, MCA Wanita chief Heng Seai Kie said during her speech that Lawa aims to help and improve the lives of abused women.

"The rise in crime rates and household violence involving women stem from their ignorance of their own rights, as well as the lack of centres for them to seek help," she added.

She said that it was because of that, as well as with the encouragement of Rosmah, they had decided to launch this institution with 205 centres nationwide.

Lawa, she said, would be receiving help from the Royal Malaysian Police (PDRM), Bar Council and other organisations. The institution also provides Syariah and Civil legal counseling for those in need.

MCA also celebrated Rosmah birthday during the launching ceremony.

WAO to Police: Work with us, not against us

If a shelter allows police to visit with an abusive husband, it cannot provide the victim-survivor with a safe, supportive environment.

FMT

PETALING JAYA: Women’s Aid Organisation (WAO) Advocacy Officer Kristine Yap said that although they valued the role police played in protecting victims of domestic violence, the two parties needed to work together instead of against each other for the sake of the women involved.

Referring to last month’s incident which saw three police officers bringing an abusive husband to the shelter, Yap related in a statement that WAO’s experience with the police had not been “short of challenges”.

According to Yap, the police demanded to search the place for the abusive husband’s wife as one of their children had taken ill after the husband chased his wife out of the house.

She said that the role of WAO was a safe house and shelter that provided a safe and supportive environment where women could rebuild and regain control of their lives.

“More pertinently, the function of a shelter and safe house is to provide physical and psychological safety to a person or family experiencing domestic violence,” said Yap who added that the police should not reveal the classified address of the shelter to anyone, least of all the perpetrator.

“Bringing the abusive husband to the shelter compromises the safety and confidentiality of WAO’s shelter, potentially risking the lives of women and children who seek refuge here.

“On top of that, the police should not turn up at the shelter with the perpetrator, aggressively demanding the staff and residents to let them in,” said Yap.

She said that in such situations, the police should first check whether the wife had made a report against her husband.

Following this, they should confirm the missing person’s whereabouts and safety before meeting the abused woman’s social worker instead of “turning up at the shelter unannounced, causing distress”.

Yap also hoped that the police would assist in taking action if the perpetrator and, or his family members were to create a scene at the shelter gate, hurling insults at the shelter staff and residents.

She said that WAO was always quick to notify the police of any incidents and had cooperated with the police with face-to-face meetings at the Bukit Aman police headquarters in order to ensure a good relationship.

Yap acknowledged the police’s help in intervening at the shelter gates and providing immediate assistance when called upon and hoped that in future, they could continue to improve and strengthen their partnership in their continued efforts to eliminate domestic violence.

What are the criteria for male MBs?

 

Najib Abdul Razak’s latest slogan ‘Endless Possibilities’ only applies to men. In Najib’s Malaysia, women face ‘Endless Objections’. The latest victim is Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail. Her plan to become the first woman menteri besar for Selangor is being thwarted by Umno Baru and the critics in her own coalition.

In patriarchal Malaysia, women must prove themselves more than most men, and obstacles are deliberately put in their way. Many women know that if they put their minds to it, they can achieve whatever they desire. Have the people who question Wan Azizah’s suitability, applied the same rigorous standards to MBs in other states? Unsurprisingly, MBs in the opposition-held states of Selangor, and Penang are subjected to intense scrutiny.

Did anyone ask if the Kelantan MB possessed the necessary experience? Ahmad Yaakob, the Syariah graduate from Al-Azhar University in Egypt and former teacher did not have a rough ride when he was chosen as MB for Kelantan.

Similarly, his predecessor, ‘Tok Guru’, who is much respected and admired, even by non-Muslims, and has been credited for PAS’ increased popularity among non-Muslims,  eased effortlessly into the role of MB.

The former MB of Terengganu, Ahmad Said, who many will remember as the explorer who met the penguins in Antarctica, and whose temper tantrums, just before his daughter’s wedding caught Najib’s attention, was not the first choice for MB, in 2008. In the Terengganu constitutional crisis, Ahmad was alleged to be the sultan’s favourite, despite Ahmad’s unpopularity within Umno Baru.

Did anyone question if Mukhriz Mahathir had the necessary experience to be MB? Sometimes, one’s political pedigree is enough to silence one’s detractors.

In 2010, Perak’s BN senior executive councillor Hamidah Osman (right) was rumoured to be Najib’s preferred choice for MB, because of her alleged role in persuading three Pakatan assemblypersons to leap frog to ‘independence’, thus causing the collapse of Pakatan’s 10-month government of Perak.

If Najib had been successful in making Hamidah the MB of Perak, he would have been lauded for being progressive. What a wasted opportunity! Instead, Najib listened to the chauvinists in Umno Baru and chose Zambry Abdul Kadir instead.

In a face-saving gesture, Hamidah betrayed every woman in Malaysia, when she said that a female politician could become a minister, but not an MB. “As menteri besar, one has to meet the Tuanku, where protocol is involved, and one has to meet religious officers, and in such situations it is not possible for a woman to become the head of a state government.”

This mantra is continually applied to women, who might accompany the sultan. Recently, Umno Baru lawyer Mohd Hafarizam Harun mentioned a woman’s unsuitability to be the MB, because her menstruation would be an “obstacle for her, to accompany the sultan at religious functions”.

No mention of women being ineligible

The news article on Hafarizam also said that in the Selangor constitution, an MB must be “a member of the Malay race and profess the Muslim religion”. There was no mention of women being ineligible.

Dr Shamrahayu Abdul Aziz (right), a Universiti Islam Antarabangsa (UIA) Malaysia lecturer agreed that it was possible for a woman to be MB. “There is no specification in the state laws that does not allow for a woman to be the menteri besar. The main requirements are for the candidate to be Muslim and Malay”.

Conscious of her Umno Baru minders, she cautiously said, “But we also have to take into account sensitivities and taboos in society, as well as whether we are ready for a female menteri besar”.

Why is Shamrahayu afraid of advancing the progress of other women? Is she aware that at one time, women had great difficulty getting an education, let along becoming lecturers?

Najib became Malaysia’s youngest MB when he was 29, in 1982. Did anyone question his suitability as MB, for Pahang? Did the sympathy vote, after the death of his father, a few years earlier, which made him suitable?

Last year, Najib took over from Shahrizat Abdul Jalil, as the Women, Family and Community Development Minister. Did anyone broach the subject of his ability to hold three portfolios - prime minister, finance minister and also women minister? Was he paid three salaries? How did other women gauge his effectiveness as a minister in charge of women’s affairs?

Najib cares more about his public image. He craves status and power. Over the years, many women in employment have given up lucrative careers, because of expensive child care. Single mothers are neglected. The syariah laws do not protect women. Child marriages destroy the lives of many young girls. Sports personalities are let off when they commit statutory rape.

How did Najib transform the lives of women during his tenure as the Women Minister? He could not fill the quota for women in government. He lacked the courage and conviction to push through policies, which would help Malaysian women. The bigger disappointment is that few women complained about him being an ineffective minister for women’s affairs.

Sometimes, those who blight the hopes of Malaysian women are other women. Wan Azizah is being savaged for wanting to become MB, not because of her education, her achievements as a doctor, her knowledge of the struggles as a wife, working mother and grandmother, but because she is Anwar Ibrahim’s wife.

By the time Wan Azizah takes her place as MB, she will be battle-hardened. Being a good MB is not gender-specific. It is about leadership skills and the passion to engage with Malaysians, for one common purpose.

Another fear of Umno Baru and conservative Malays is that once a woman becomes an MB, the rakyat will also accept the possibility of capable non-Malays becoming MBs, and PM. That would be the death knell of parties based on race and religion, like Umno Baru and PAS.

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MARIAM MOKHTAR is a defender of the truth, the admiral-general of the Green Bean Army and president of the Perak Liberation Organisation (PLO).

Do Umno Baru men fear women?

The WikiLeaks ‘RM5 banknote gagging order’ has revealed that we cannot look to the West (read Australia) for an example of a nation which upholds democratic values, rule of law and a free press. Similarly, Malaysians cannot look to some men, principally Malay men in Umno Baru, as role models for equality, fairness and justice.

Last month, an Umno Baru constitutional law ‘expert’ said that PKR president Wan Azizah Wan Ismail could not become menteri besar because her menstruation was an “obstacle which would prevent her from accompanying the sultan, at functions”.

A few decades ago, when working in the petroleum industry, some men tried to discourage women with comments such as, “How can you go offshore, or climb ladders? Your clothing is an ‘obstacle’.”

These men had not heard of overalls. In their opinion, high-flying women were either stenographers or shop assistants. Things have not progressed much, in Malaysia.

Perhaps, Umno Baru men are trapped in a time warp, in which women are subservient and docile. Do they hanker for the good old days when a woman was a maid at home, a cook in the kitchen and a whore in the bedroom? We are not living in an Islamic caliphate nor are we living in the dark ages.

Umno Baru lawyer Mohd Hafarizam Harun (left), Umno Baru Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin and Universiti Islam Antarabangsa (UIA) lecturer Shamrahayu Abdul Aziz forget how they arrived in this world. For nine months, women carry a foetus, suffer weeks of morning sickness, have eating and sleeping problems, to climax in the pain of delivery.

Even if miracles could be performed, these men would not be willing to sacrifice nine months of their lives, nor endure the pain of childbirth.

In many families, the son receives preferential treatment. He gets the choice cuts of meat, the more expensive present and he need not do the chores. He gets to go out and party. Girls learn the meaning of tolerance and the importance of sharing. They experience the effects of discrimination from an early age.

Women know how to make others feel good, and bring out the best in people. See how girlfriends mollycoddle their boyfriends. Observe how mothers whip up the best meals for the son-in-law, when he visits.

As girls help their mothers to cook and keep the house clean, they learn about deadlines, such as preparing meals on time. They keep to a budget, when buying groceries. They observe healthy eating habits and realise the importance of cleanliness. One needs to look into one’s teenage son’s room, to realise that males have a different concept of tidiness.

Good at multi-tasking

What happens at home is translated to the workplace. Perhaps, that explains why government departments, which invite potential bidders for a tender, usually lay on a good spread before the meeting. Women would get straight to the point and hold the meeting, to thrash out the job requirements. Women celebrate after a job has been done well, not before.

Girls learn to feed their younger siblings whilst loading the washing-machine, the curry is simmering and the rice is cooking. They may be busy, but all the while, their minds are on the complex algebra which teacher has set them for homework. Women are good at multi-tasking.

The boy who parties late, is not up on time for school. He bullies or bribes his sister to finish his homework. Girls love mental challenges. This may explain why girls perform better at school and college. At university, more women take up professional courses like engineering, science and medicine. Malay men prefer religious studies courses.

After years of helping in a busy kitchen and answering to a mother who demands excellence, girls handle stress better than their brothers. Dealing with a demanding mother also equips women with good survival instincts.

With better communication skills, women make better listeners than men and tend to speak their minds. To get the job done, they may have to scream and shout, a lot. Men mistake this for nagging. Women call it constructive criticism.

Women are not afraid of tackling difficult situations. The housewife who wants a particular do-it-yourself (DIY) job done, or wants to know how her husband got a lipstick stain on his collar, knows that men can be very evasive.

Women have very good memories. Just ask any man who has just been nagged by his wife. She will remind him that he made the same mistake 20 years previously, or that he forgot her birthday 32 years ago.

Women pay regular visits to their doctors, because they know that if they fall ill, the whole household suffers. Men are reluctant to address their health issues. Men don’t just have a common cold, they have ‘man-flu’ and are at death’s door.

Older women have learnt to manage their time. Many are childminders for their grandchildren, they control the family finances and retirement fund, besides organising the annual holidays. They dread the day when their husbands retire, because after a lifetime of being told what to do at work, newly retired men act like lost puppies. They follow the wife around and are a nuisance, questioning her every move.

The woman who is unlucky to be someone’s first wife, can expect the arrival of her husband, when he has been chucked out of the youngest wife’s house. The arm-candy wife may be good to look at, but she cannot cope with her husband’s dementia, his double incontinence nor his demand for ‘soft-foods’.

On top of this, the menopausal woman who cannot sleep, can cram additional items into her schedule and get more work done.

Despite all this, Umno Baru men have the cheek to say that a woman is incapable of becoming a menteri besar. Why don’t they simply change the constitution and bar women from holding the highest office in the state, and the nation? Do Umno Baru men fear women, or just Pakatan women?

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MARIAM MOKHTAR is a defender of the truth, the admiral-general of the Green Bean Army and president of the Perak Liberation Organisation (PLO).

- See more at: http://www.malaysiakini.com/columns/270501#sthash.i6JdAFAK.dpuf

Unconstitutional to bar women MBs over menstrual cycle, lawyers say

Malay Mail
by MELISSA CHI

KUALA LUMPUR, July 16 ― It is unconstitutional to bar a woman from becoming mentri besar just because she menstruates, several lawyers said after Umno legal adviser claimed Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail’s monthly cycle would hinder her performance as Selangor MB.

 

Human rights lawyer Honey Tan labelled Datuk Mohd Hafarizam Harun’s remark “sexist” and “patriarchal” and reminded the Umno man that Article 8(2) of the Federal Constitution prohibits gender discrimination.

The Selangor Constitution, she added, is consonant with the country’s supreme law on the matter as there is no provision barring a woman from heading the administration of the state.

“As usual, it is the (mis)interpretation of Islam that contributes to women's de facto discrimination, not just in the political arena but also at work and in the home.   

“Finally, Hafarizam's argument is moot because Wan Azizah has reached menopause. So what is his argument now?” she told The Malay Mail Online via e-mail.

Dr Wan Azizah is 61 years old.

Tan also pointed out that many Muslim women in the world have taken on key political posts, citing the prime ministers of Pakistan and Bangladesh, Benazir Bhutto and Sheikh Hasina, as examples.

“So obviously Islam is not an issue,” she remarked.

The 1959 Selangor Constitution only requires the state mentri besar to be a Malay and Muslim, but does not lay down conditions on the gender.

Dr Wan Azizah, who is both a Malay and a Muslim, is also the state assemblyman for the Kajang constituency in Selangor, fulfilling the most important requirement.

In a New Straits Times report yesterday, Hafarizam had reportedly said that Dr Wan Azizah, who is PKR president and the wife of Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, could not be made the next Selangor mentri besar because her menstrual cycle prevents her from attending religious events during that time of the month.

The Umno lawyer, who was commenting on speculation that Dr Wan Azizah may be poised to replace Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim for the post, said the mentri besar has always been male for this reason, despite there being no specific clause excluding a woman from holding the post.

Bar Council constitutional law committee chairman Firdaus Husni also disagreed with Hafarizam, noting that there is no specific provision under the law ― in particular the state constitution ― to stop a woman from holding the post of mentri besar.

“The barring of a citizen from holding the post of mentri besar on the ground only of gender is not expressly authorised by the Federal Constitution.

“Such move would therefore be unconstitutional, not to mention discriminatory. Yes, by extension his argument would mean that we cannot have a female PM,” she said.

Arguing on the same point, civil liberties lawyer Syahredzan Johan, who called Umno’s Mohd Hafarizam’s remarks “baseless and unwarranted”, said even if a mentri besar is unable to accompany the Sultan during religious functions for whatever reason, the relevant state executive councillor could stand in his or her place.

He also said that placing restrictions based on biological differences legitimises in-built prejudices against women and has consequence of perpetuating the myth that women should not occupy positions of power.

Although he noted that it was far more likely to see a non-Malay prime minister than a female prime minister in Malaysia, it does not justify comments like Hafarizam’s.

Instead, he said, the country should be encouraging more participation of women in politics and positions of power.

“Admittedly, I do think a lot of people in our present political leadership, at least in private, they do share these sentiments expressed by Datuk Hafarizam, perhaps not in such a crude manner because of menses and all that but the very fact is that they do share this perception or belief that women should not occupy the highest position of power.

“They are given token positions such as to take care of women’s affairs, but nowhere near the so-called important portfolios.

“Unfortunately that has to change and that change should have already started. Unfortunately we still get these kind of sentiments expressed... and being shared among politicians,” he said.

Weighing in, Bar Council president Christopher Leong said a woman’s menstruation cycle cannot be seen as a disability or a factor for disqualification.

“In any event, in the scenario alluded to in the news report, the menstruation cycle would not be a subsisting issue for women above certain ages,” he said.

He pointed out that Malaysia has also ratified the UN Convention for the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (“CEDAW”).

“Therefore, the issue of women being barred, purely by virtue of their circumstance as women, from participating fully in society and in assuming any public office does not arise.

In Islam, a menstruating woman is considered “unclean”, and is prohibited from praying and reading Quran, among others.

Most Islamic scholars also bar women from entering a mosque while menstruating.

Mother refused child custody

A single mother of five claims welfare home Ti-Ratana in Desa Petaling, refuse to return her two biological daughters back.

Kuala Lumpur: A single mother of five cries foul and claims that welfare home Ti-Ratana in Desa Petaling is refusing to return her two biological daughters back into her custody.

Beramalah Devi, 40, in a press conference held at the KL & Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall (KLSCAH) today, said that she had made numerous attempts to reclaim her daughters from the welfare home.

Beramalah had left her daughters to the welfare home’s care in 2010, after her husband Tan Kok Cheong passed away and she was financially incapable of raising the two girls, Tham Ee Ching, 15 and Tham Yee Leng, 9 on her own.

After getting a better job and becoming financially stable, she approached the welfare home in Dec 2013 seeking custody. However, Ti-Ratana refused to allow her daughters to be with her, she alleged.

According to Beramalah’s lawyer M Visvanathan, she had lodged seven police reports against the welfare home but to date no action has been taken by the police authorities.

On Jan 20, a demand letter had been given to the welfare home demanding they release Beramalah’s daughters to her within 24 hours.

“I find the way Ti-Ratana is holding onto the children as unlawful and they must be returned back to the mother without any further delay,” said Visvanathan.

Visvanathan expressed his disappointment that a home being run based on Buddhist principles could be involved in such an act.

Beramalah claims that her two daughters have not been sent to school since beginning of the year and on January 21, she received a warning letter from the school regarding her daughter’s absence records.

Meanwhile when FMT contacted Ti-Ratana, it’s spokesperson Kelvin Ooi said that the matter had been referred to their lawyer and necessary steps have been taken.

An attempt to check with Ti-Ratana’s lawyer who declined to be named, refused to comment.

Malaysian Tamil Today, national secretary K Gunasekaran spoke to FMT after the press conference and advised that Beramalah be taken to meet with the respective police district chiefs for their views on the matter and to seek police co-operation on the seven police reports made earlier.

Report: Forced Sterilization Of Women Widespread In Uzbekistan

A new report on forced sterilization of women in Uzbekistan at government clinics says the practice remains widespread across the country.

BBC Central Asia correspondent Natalia Antelava, the author of the report by the U.S.-based Open Society Foundations, says medical professionals throughout the country are under government pressure to perform sterilizations as a means to combat population growth.

Presenting the report to the press in Washington on December 13 and earlier this week in New York, she said all women of reproductive age who had delivered two or more children were potential targets for forced sterilization.

"The sterilization campaign by the government is still carrying on, it's happening everywhere, across Uzbekistan," Antelava told reporters on December 11 in New York. "So, it is not that individual regions are targeted, rather across the country clinics and hospitals are performing the procedures. It hasn't shown any sign of slowing down in the last five years."

She said that women with lower socioeconomic status and representatives of ethnic minorities were the most likely to be sterilized.

The sterilizations -- through removal of the uterus or cutting of the fallopian tubes -- happen without the patient's knowledge and often is not learned of until much later.

"The typical story is that the woman gives birth, then tries to get pregnant again, fails to get pregnant, then goes to a doctor and finds out that she has been sterilized," Antelava explained.

Antelava also said that local health administrators attempted to outperform one another in order to please the central authorities.

"It's very clear that there are certain quotas on the number of sterilizations that doctors perform but it is very difficult to trace these quotas up to Tashkent," she said.

"So, while the country is extremely centralized, there is also a real sense of competition between lower down the chain of command, between the local bureaucrats, local hospitals, and local doctors to outperform each other."

Since 1999, Uzbekistan's ongoing and systematic forced-sterilization program has affected tens of thousands of women, Antelava added.

At UN, Pakistan Praises Saudi Arabia for Protecting “Women’s Rights”

It’s not a joke. It’s the United Nations.


And it’s that punchline to the joke that the UN protects human rights that is the UN Human Rights Council, which is always ready to condemn human rights abusers like Canada, Australia and America… but has a kind word for defenders of human rights like China, Libya and Saudi Arabia.

Today’s United Nations punchline has been brought to you by billions of your tax dollars. It’s your money. You deserve a good laugh.

As the UN Human Rights Council scrutinized Saudi Arabia’s domestic rights record this morning… out of 95 countries who took the floor, 82 praised Saudi Arabia.

Hillel Neuer, executive director of the Geneva-based human rights group UN Watch, said the country is poised to win a seat on the Human Rights Council.

“A country whose legal system routinely lashes women rape victims rather than punish the perpetrators should not have been praised effusively by members of the UN’s top human rights body,” said Neuer. “Instead the world should have addressed the Saudi regime’s use of cruel, inhuman and degrading punishments, such as flogging, amputations and eye-gouging.”

But look at who lined up to praise Saudi human rights.

Afghanistan: “We commend Saudia Arabia as they continue to enhance the protection and promotion of human rights…”

Palestine: “We take notice of Saudi Arabia’s efforts to protect and promote human rights…”

Somalia: “Saudi Arabia maintains a high priority for protection and promotion of human rights…”

Libya: “Saudi Arabia continues to strengthen human rights and promote them and this deserves our appreciation…”

Mauritania, VP of the UNHRC (and a country that practices slavery): “We commend Saudi Arabia for always seeking to strengthen human rights…We commend Saudi Arabia in terms of the progress on guaranteeing fundamental rights and freedoms, socioeconomic progress, participation of women at all levels and participation in society.

China: “We appreciate efforts made to protect the rights of children and to have dialogues of religious tolerance…”

Pakistan: Commended “laudable steps taken by Saudi Arabia to promote and protect the rights of children and women…”

It’s official.

According to China, Saudi Arabia which arrests Christians for praying, practices religious tolerance.

According to Afghanistan, Libya, Somalia, the terrorists running the Palestinian Authority, and a Muslim country that practices slavery, the Saudis excel at human rights.

And according to Pakistan, a country where raping women is practically in the Constitution, Saudi Arabia, which won’t let women drive or leave the house, is also breaking new ground in protecting women’s rights.

Every comedian knows when to go out on a high note. The joke that is the UN has reached its high note. There is nothing else. It’s time to disband the whole thing, admit it was a long gag, and move on to the Glasgow Comedy Festival, and maybe use the UN building to house the homeless.

There’s nothing else left to do.

Sex crime victims under pressure

Victims of sex crime face double jeopardy in their ordeal of seeking justice from the courts. The process of getting a conviction can take toll on them and family.

GEORGE TOWN: Many sex crime cases just fade away when victims voluntarily drop out of the court trial due to intimidation by the accused, difficulty of legal process and lack of support for the victims and family members, disclosed a survey done by Penang-based Women Centre for Change (WCC).

Its chairperson for advocacy sub-committee, lawyer Lalitha Menon said the ordeal of going through the legal process, starting from police investigations, medical examinations to trial in seeking justice, would take its toll on the victims, family members and witnesses.

“It has proven to be too taxing and intimidating on them,” Lalitha told during a press conference in the WCC office here today.

She said frequent postponements of court hearing, for instance, would hinder the victims, family members and witnesses to pursue further with the case.

WCC’s survey revealed that frequent postponements would also affect the wages of the victims and witnesses.

The reputation of family, bad media publicity and threats from suspects have also caused victims and witnesses to “go missing” from trials.

In some cases, the accused has also absconded after securing bail.

All these have compelled the prosecution to often seek a court verdict of a discharge not amounting to acquittal order.

The survey also revealed that only 12 cases or four percent of the 439 sex related crime cases in Penang had resulted in guilty verdicts, while in 137 or 31% of cases the accused had pleaded guilty.

It also found 45% cases ended up with a discharge not amounting to acquittal verdicts.

“This means that if the accused choose not to plead guilty, they stand a 96% chance of being either acquitted or discharged or both,” concluded the WCC survey.

The survey was based on sex related crime court cases that took place in the island-state between 2000 and 2004.

Guidebook for victims

Findings of the survey were disclosed during a launching of WCC guidebook for sexual crime victims entitled: “Surviving Court – A Guide to Understanding the Criminal Court Process,” here today.

Also present were WCC executive director Loh Cheng Kooi, programme consultant Prema Devaraj, advocacy officer Melissa Mohd Akhir and watching brief lawyer Karen Lai.

Although the cases studied in the survey occurred early last decade, Melissa told FMT that the trend was still “more alike same” now.

Family members of two sexual-crime victims were also present to narrate their ordeal to the press. Their details and photographs could not be published due to obvious reasons.

Lalitha said most victims and family members lacked knowledge and experience in the criminal court process, leaving them feeling lost, disempowered and anxious.

She said they also lacked support from relatives, friends and lay public.

She revealed many victims were unfamiliar with court process, room setting, staff, officials, and specialized legal terms.

She said they were ill-prepared for trials and felt intimidated especially when facing their assailant and during cross examination by the defence.

She said it was ironic that the court process, which was to provide justice for victims, had often been a painful experience for victims especially when they had to relive and recount the crime during their testimony.

The guidebook was based on an earlier WCC research book “Justice for Victims of Sexual Crimes”, which highlighted the need for support and advocacy for victims during court process.

The 36-page guidebook is to help victims and other witnesses to better understand the police probe and court process in simple terms.

“Victims will be better prepared and empowered when going to court or seeking justice through the criminal court system,” said Lalitha to newsmen.

'NS pregnancy test may push girls to drastic measures'

The mandatory pregnancy test for young women selected to attend National Service is not only an “infringement of privacy” but could cause more harm than good, said women's rights groups.

This is because unmarried trainees may be pushed to take “drastic action” to prevent the pregnancy from being detected.

“We don't want to traumatise these young people (to the extent) that they feel their only resort is to risk a botched abortion,” Women's Aid Organisation (WAO) executive director Ivy Josiah said when contacted.

Through her experience at WAO, she has found that after mediation, families and the community do provide support for young women even if they are pregnant out of wedlock.

“Families and the community can be understanding but often we find it is the authorities wagging their fingers,” she said, adding that mandatory testing also has an element of shame to it.

It was announced yesterday that all female National Service trainees must have a pregnancy test. Since the programme started in 2004, six trainees have given birth while at camp.

National Service director-general Abdul Hadi Awang Kechil claimed that a survey involving 4,500 trainees and their parents in 2011 found that 94 percent are for the mandatory tests.

All Women's Action Society (Awam) president Ho Yock Lin said the trainees are adults and forcing them to take such tests is an “infringement of privacy”.

“Some of them are even working adults. Imagine if an employer makes all employees take pregnancy tests. Adults would not stand for it,” she said.

Ho (left) said it appears that the move is to keep pregnant young women out of the camps and that this is discriminatory, especially for those who want to join the programme.

The test should be offered on a voluntary basis, she said, as should other tests - including those for drugs and medical issues - which could help camp counsellers prepare for the trainees’ needs.

If 94 percent of trainees and parents agree to to mandatory pregnancy tests, then a voluntary test would have a similar response, she noted.

“There should be a choice, and when someone is found to be pregnant she can either be allowed to come back after she has delivered, or she may be excused from the more streneous exercises.

“Someone giving birth at the camp is just like someone having a heart attack at the camp. They have a heart attack, you send them to a hospital, they rest.”

‘Safe place required’

While society may not want young people to get pregnant, use recreational drugs or even take up smoking or drinking, Ho said that being punitive or forcing tests on them will not help.

Instead, the National Service programme should be used as a place for education, as well as a safe place where young women with an unplanned pregnancy, can come forward.

“A school principal does not want her students pregnant at 14, but she can't test the students. So what she does is she helps a girl if she is pregnant, but at the same time educates other students about such issues,” Ho said.

Josiah said this will actually address issue of clandestine births at the camps - one young woman reportedly gave birth in a toilet, out of fear or shame.

“They should look at creating an environment where a young woman can tell a counsellor, so the camp will be aware and she won't be pushed to give birth in secret.”

There is also no indication of what will happen to a trainee who is found to be pregnant, and if assistance will be provided to them, she said.

She urged the implementation of sex education modules developed by women's rights NGOs and the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry for National Service trainees in 2008.

“I don't know if they are being implemented as there was a lot of resistance to it then, but the fact is, romance and lust is in the air,” she added.

“If girls are turning up at the camps pregnant then we know this is age when they are exposed to sexual activities and they need to be educated about it.”

Rights of non-converted spouse must be upheld

Many objected strongly when the government tabled the Administration of the Religion of Islam (Federal Territories) Bill 2013 late last month.

The Bill allowed for the unilateral conversion to Islam of a child by one parent, presumably after that parent converts himself or herself to Islam.

We are glad that these strong objections have caused the Bill to be withdrawn, for now. Many have emphasised too that withdrawing the bill does not address the problem as existing state religious laws and the Bahasa Malaysia version of the federal constitution must be amended to ensure that the consent of both parents is necessary for a child’s conversion.

But unilateral conversion of the child is not the only issue to worry about when one spouse converts to Islam. 

In Women's Aid Organisation's (AO) direct experience with women whose husbands convert opportunistically, other rights of the non-converted women have been eroded.

Right to inherit from a family member who converts to Islam

If one spouse converts to Islam, the non-converted spouse and other non-Muslim next-of-kin are not entitled to inherit from the converted spouse.

The Distribution Act 1958 does not apply to the estate of any person professing Islam, and non-Muslims are generally not allowed to inherit under faraid principles of asset distribution.

Non-Muslim family members can only receive at most one-third of the converted person’s estate, if the converted person chooses to bequeath anything at all.

The Distribution Act 1958 should be amended to safeguard the right of the deceased’s non-Muslim next-of-kin to inherit.

Right to have all issues relating to a civil law marriage settled according to civil laws and adjudicated only in civil courts

Shamala Sathiyaseelan is a Hindu mother whose husband converted to Islam and converted their two infant children without her knowledge or consent.

She went to the High Court to seek redress, but the Court ruled that since the children were now Muslims, the Syariah Court was the only qualified forum to determine their religious status.

As Shamala was not Muslim, she could not appear in the Syariah Court either, and she was left with no avenue to seek justice.

The Law Reform (Marriage And Divorce) Act 1976 should be amended to ensure that all issues relating to a civil law marriage are settled according to civil laws and adjudicated only in civil courts.

A marriage contract between two non-Muslims is made under civil law. It is therefore unjust for a non-Muslim spouse to unexpectedly find herself or himself subject to laws other than those she or he had agreed to at the time of marriage.

Right to be informed of a spouse’s conversion to Islam

Everyone has a right to embrace a religion of their choice, but there is no legal requirement for a spouse who converts to Islam to inform his or her family members of the conversion.

This is key as the conversion has legal consequences on the marriage and the rights of the non-converted family members.

Before registering a conversion, religious authorities should ensure that the spouse and other family members have been notified through a written acknowledgment.

Irresponsible spouses have been allowed to misuse religion to shirk their moral and legal obligations.

As a community of shared values we must not allow the unconverted spouse and other family members to face the injustices caused by this misuse.

---

WOMEN’S AID ORGANISATION’s (WAO) mission is to promote and create respect, protection and fulfilment of equal rights for women. Arguments in the letter were adopted from the memorandum 'Safeguard Rights of Wives and Children upon Conversion of Husbands to Islam,' published by the Joint Action Group For Gender Equality (JAG) on Feb 5, 2007.

India can learn respect for women

Editor's note: Suniti Neogy works as a maternal health program coordinator in India for the global poverty-fighting organization CARE.
 
(CNN) -- The December gang-rape and murder of a young woman in New Delhi has stirred consciences in India in a way I have never before experienced: It has forced Indians to confront a terrible truth that for our girls and women, violence and discrimination are facts of daily life, an epidemic that, researchers say, claims nearly 2 million lives in India each year.

But now the real work begins for each of us who took to the streets in protest. How do we channel the energy of those demonstrations into real solutions for our communities?

I got a taste of the challenge earlier this month, when officials from the Barabanki district in Uttar Pradesh, a state adjoining New Delhi, asked if I would lead a workshop promoting teen safety and gender sensitivity for the government schools.

I was disappointed to see they had invited only the heads of girls' schools. And so I accepted under one condition: that the principals of the district's boys' schools attend as well. Because if there's one thing I'm certain of it's that all the candlelight vigils, passion and protests will be in vain if we don't figure out how to make men and boys part of this growing movement to transform gender relations in my country.

For more than a decade I've worked for the poverty-fighting group CARE as a community educator on health and gender issues. I've seen how the deep inequalities between women and men trap millions of Indian families in cycle of poverty. But along the way, I've also met countless men who, given an opportunity, were willing to examine and improve their behavior towards the girls and women in their lives.

The fact is most people want what is best for their loved ones. Aggressive behavior toward women isn't innate. It's learned and can be unlearned. When prompted to reflect on their attitudes towards women's education, sharing domestic tasks, having girl children, and even violence, the boys and men I work with every day can and do change.

Opinion: Misogyny in India: We are all guilty

Often it starts with something simple, like the laundry.

I think of Ram, a man I worked with in the village of Pavaiya Viran. A husband and father with a macho job -- he drills underground pumps -- Ram attended sessions where he was given a chance to analyze gender roles in his life. He understood that men and boys are under pressure to express power and that when they feel weak or frustrated, their gut reaction is often to demonstrate power, even if that means violent or abusive behavior.

Ram eventually adopted a new outlook; that truly strong men don't show power, they show care. "Let the other men laugh at me for cooking and washing clothes," he told me. "Why should my wife alone do all things?"

Now I'm not saying men doing laundry is the solution. But each time he folds the linens, Ram shows his children he respects his wife and treats her as an equal, not someone subservient.

And so I kept thinking of Ram as I gathered with the group of 53 principals from boys and girls schools earlier this month. We addressed the importance of installing security cameras at school gates, assuring a woman driver or conductor is on every school bus, and having clean, working toilets at schools so girls and boys are not forced to go outside to relieve themselves. This was all necessary. But it felt like we were playing defense. Only when the educators were forced to hold a mirror up to their own lives did it feel like we were playing offense, too.

Opinion: End global rape culture

Many acknowledged that it's their duty as parents and community leaders to lead the next generation by example. One principal realized he'd never even considered doing household chores, not as a boy or, now, as a husband and a father. Another vowed to make gender equity a required part of parent-teacher conferences. By the end of the session, every man and woman in the room was thinking about changing not only others but also him or herself.

We have a long way to go, and not just in India. A World Health Organization global survey found that 59% of women in rural Ethiopia report being subjected to sexual violence from their intimate partner, 62% of women in Peru report physical violence at the hands of their partners and 30% of women in rural Bangladesh say their first sexual experience was forced. The problem is not confined to the developing world either. Nearly one in five women in the United States has been raped or has experienced attempted rape.

Even so, I'm confident that the Indian people can demonstrate to the world that we're not powerless in the face of some global epidemic. We can change. That starts by treating this moment not as some global airing of our dirty laundry but rather a national awakening to the reality that all of us -- girls and boys, women and men -- must do our part in cleaning it.

Women Abuse Victims Should Not Be Afraid To Lodge Report

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 25 (Bernama) -- Women who are victims of abuse or violence should not be afraid to lodge complaints with the relevant authorities to enable them to get help.

Women, Family and Community Development Deputy Mnister Datuk Noriah Kasnon said Malaysia had specific laws to protect the rights of women and from any form of abuse, whether physical or mental.

"The government enforces laws and formulates acts to protect woman including the Domestic Violence Act 1994, the Penal Code and Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants Act 2007.

"As such, women who are victims of abuse should immediately lodge a report with the authorities so that appropriate assistance can be given," she said in a statement, here, Sunday night.

She also urged women to use the Nur Service Line 15999 which was created by the ministry in 2007 for them to report any form of violence that took place.

Noriah said that in conjunction with the campaign to prevent violence against women and to ensure women lived in a safe environment free from any form of abuse, violence and victimisation, the ministry, through the Women's Development Department planned numerous programmes to expose women to efforts to curb violence.

‘Criminalising’ men in women’s attire is unconstitutional, High Court told

The Sun Daily
by Karen Arukesamy

SEREMBAN (Aug 30, 2012): In what is the first case of its kind, four transsexuals are challenging the Negri Sembilan Syariah law that forbids males to openly dress or pose as females on the grounds that it is infringing their rights under the Federal Constitution.

The High Court today began a constitutional hearing before Justice Datuk Siti Mariah Ahmad on a judicial review of Section 66 of the Syariah Criminal (Negri Sembilan) Enactment 1992, initiated by the four transsexuals who have been charged under the section.

Muhamad Juzaili Mohd Khamis, 24, Shukor Jani, 25, Wan Fairol Wan Ismail, 27, and Adam Shazrul Mohd Yusoff, 25, who work as bridal make-up artists, identify themselves and dress as women.

Counsel Aston Paiva, representing the four, told the court that Section 66 of the Syariah Criminal (Negri Sembilan) Enactment 1992, which “criminalises” any man who dresses or poses as a woman, is “unconstitutional”.

The section provides for a fine not exceeding RM1000 or imprisonment not exceeding six months or both, upon conviction.

“They (applicants) have been identified to have a medical condition known as Gender Identity Disorder (GID). It is an attribute of their nature that they did not choose and cannot change,” he said.

“The undisputed medical evidence shows the applicants are biologically male but psychologically female. Thus, it is not applicable to them.”

He said the applicants, who have been arrested and harassed by the authorities several times, cannot conform to Section 66 by virtue of their medical condition, without suffering psychological harm and trauma.

“The applicants therefore ask this court for relief, either by declaring the law unconstitutional or by declaring that Section 66 does not apply to people like them, who suffer from GID,” Paiva said.

He pointed that Section 66 denies them the right to freely express their identity, and infringes Article 10(1)(a) of the Federal Constitution that guarantees freedom of expression.

Pointing that only Parliament can restrict freedom of expression, he added that Section 66 is unconstitutional as it is enacted by the state legislature.

They are also seeking a court order to prohibit their arrest and prosecution under the section.

Paiva said that Section 66 also violates:

>> Article 5(1) of the Federal Constitution, which enshrines the right to personal liberty.

>> Article 8(2), which states that “…there shall be no discrimination against citizens on the grounds only of religion, race, descent, place of birth or gender in any law…”

>> Article 9(2), which enshrines the right of every citizen to move freely throughout Malaysia.

>> Article 4(1), which declares void any law that is inconsistent with the Federal Constitution.

“Only men can be charged with this offence in this state – not women,” he said, adding that in other states, similar law involves immoral activities and not just dressing up as women.

He submitted that the challenge before the court is whether the state’s enactment is consistent with the Federal Constitution and not to rule on religion or religious precepts.

Siti Mariah fixed Oct 11 for the next hearing.

Women angry with Najib

Women's Aid Organisation says it is not up to Najib to decide if there is a need for women's rights movement.

PETALING JAYA: Women’s Aid Organisation (WAO) took strong exception to Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak’s dismissal of women’s rights movements in Malaysia.

Najib today dismissed the need for women’s rights groups in Malaysia, saying equality has been given “from the start”.

The prime minister claimed Malaysia is even more advanced than developed nations in this aspect.

Najib, who is also Women, Family and Community Development Minister was speaking at the Women’s Day celebration this morning.

Said Najib: “In some developed countries, the men were allowed to vote before women but, in Malaysia women had the right to vote from the start.”

Countered WAO executive director Ivy Josiah: “With all due respect, it is not up to the prime minister to proclaim that there is no need for women’s movement. It is up us – half of Malaysia – to decide what we want to do to claim our human rights.

“Our work is not over, there is still more work to be done by the women’s movement.”

In his speech, Najib said: “Don’t think that everything is better [in the developed nations] as we are way ahead, especially in terms of women’s rights.”

Still facing discrimination

He also claimed that the government and private sector are providing more job opportunities for women and this is also reflected in Budget 2013.

“We provide incentives like grants, double tax reductions and allowances to private early education centres so more can be built, and women can go to work.

The WAO is also astonished with Najib’s statement since women are still facing discrimination.

“We are flabbergasted at this pronouncement as every day women experience discrimination – whether it is domestic violence, rape, divorce, getting child and wife maintenance, street crimes and harassment,” said Josiah.

She also asked who are Najib’s gender advisers because discrimination against women continues.

“Statistics and data that WAO and other NGOs have compiled have shown discrimination against women in child maintenance, divorce, rape and domestic violence.”

“There is also an increase in female-headed households,” she said.

In addition, the Global Gender Gap Report 2011 placed Malaysia at 115th position out of 135 countries for equality in political empowerment.

Instead of high watermark for women’s rights, Najib’s hijacking of women portfolio proves to be an even lower point for women agenda

The launching of Pakatan Rakyat’s Women’s Agenda tonight is a historic event, as gender equality and empowerment of women to improve their social, educational, economic and political status must be accepted by everyone as part of human rights which must involve the commitment and challenge to everyone in the country.

Recently, women’s rights should have witnessed a highwater mark in Malaysia when the Women’s Minister is also the Prime Minister, but unfortunately, the opposite is the case – with women agenda reaching an even lower point with the hijacking of the Women Minister’s portfolio by a male – as if there are no eligible and qualified Malaysian woman for the post!

“Janji Ditepati” has recently been Najib’s favourite subject, but with Najib as Women’s Minister for the past six months, are women in Malaysia satisfied with “Promises Fulfilled” with regard to women issues and causes?

Do women in Malaysia feel safer from crime, whether in shopping malls, car parks, public streets or even in the privacy of their homes? The answer is a resounding “NO”, even with parents fearful about the safety of their underaged daughters following the recent spate of cases where judges made a mockery of statutory rape legislation to protect underaged girls.

The Malaysian government is fond of boasting about the achievements and status of Malaysian women in the international arena, particularly with regard to gender equality and women empowerment.

In actual fact, Malaysia is not in any leading position in the international context with regard to gender equality and women empowerment, as reflected by the lowly ranking of Malaysia in the 2011 Global Gender Gap Index report prepared by the World Economic Forum in Geneva.

Malaysia’s overall Global Gender Gap Index (GGPI) ranking, which is made up of three criteria firstly economic participation and opportunity; secondly, health and survival; thirdly, political empowerment, is a lowly No.97 out of 135 countries, worse than Philippines (8), South Africa (14), Cuba (20), Mozambique (26), Argentina (28), Sri Lanka (31), Nambibia (32), Guyana (38), Kyrgyz Republic (44), Kazakhstan (49), Thailand (60), Botswana (66), Bangladesh (69), Brunei (76), Albania (78), Armenia (84) and Indonesia (90).

Malaysia’s ranking in terms of women’s representation in government is the worst of all three criteria, ranked 115, behind Sri Lanka (7), Bangladesh (11), Philippines (16), India (19), China (57), Indonesia (61), Vietnam (76), Cambodia (78), Singapore (83) and Thailand (97).

Neighbouring and other Asian countries have had women as heads of state of government, like Indira Gandhi of India, Benazir Bhutto of Pakistan, Corazaon Aquino of Philippines, Megawarti Sukarnoputri of Indonesia, Yingluck Shinawatra of Thailand, Sheikh Hasina of Banglasdesh and Mrs. Srimavo Bandaranaike of Sri Lanka. But no women have risen to the top in Malaysia, whether at the federal or state levels, as no woman have ever been Mentri Besar or Chief Minister.

This gender gap must be rectified.

Malaysia should aim to be included in the top 50 countries in the Global Gender Gap Index and one way for the attainment of this objective is the implementation of Pakatan Rakyat’s Women Agenda if and when Pakatan Rakyat takes power in Putrajaya in the 13th General Election.

(Speech at the launch of the Pakatan Rakyat Women’s Agenda “Wanita Berdaya Negara Sejahtera” in Shah Alam on Thursday, 13th September 2012 at 9 pm)

Sunway Mentari – free sex after nine car washes

KUALA LUMPUR – A massage parlour and a car wash outlet in Sunway mentari have given new meaning to the phrase “customer loyalty”.

They have come up with a creative way to entice more customers to engage their services by offering free sex after nine car washes.

However, their three-month old win-win partnership went bust after police stormed the massage parlour on Monday night.

In the 9pm operation, nine Vietnamese women aged between 18 and 28, believed to be prostitutes and GROs, were arrested.

Selangor National Key Result Area (NKRA) Crime Prevention Division officer-in-charge, ASP Emmi Shah Fadhil, said police got wind of the activity after the raiding team found several car wash loyalty cards from five customers who were caught having sex with the prostitutes.

“It was supposed to be just another routine operation,” he said.

He said the team later found out that customers who sent their cars to the nearby car wash will be given a loyalty card each.

“To get the extra ‘offer’, customers must send their cars for washing nine times within a certain period. The 10th car wash will entitle them to free sex,” said Emmi Shah.

He said those who sought sex immediately would need to fork out between RM130 and RM180 per session.

NABBED: Nine Vietnamese prostitutes and GROs aged between 18 and 28 were arrested during the raid. Pix: The Malay Mail”When we raided the premises, the women panicked. Some even tried to hide in the storeroom.

“Four men, believed to be the operators and caretakers, were also detained,” he said.

Besides the loyalty card, said Emmi Shah, the team also found several condoms stashed inside a microwave.

Checks revealed the premises, equipped with CCTV, only allowed Chinese patrons to enter.

He said the women were found to have violated their social visit passes and had been working without permits.

They were taken to Petaling Jaya headquarters for further investigation.

Selangor police had conducted 4,220 raids and detained ,304 women involved in prostitution and vice activities from January to Aug 31 this year. Of the total, 214 women are locals while 2,090 were foreigners.

'Wanita Suara Perubahan' menuntut kerajaan yang bersih! (Tamil)