Parlimen Wanita Muda wants govt to table bill to address female sexual abuse

PETALING JAYA: A group of young women and teenage girls are coming to the forefront in the fight against domestic and sexual abuse.

To gain public attention, the 222 members of the Parlimen Wanita Muda (Young Women’s Parliament), a self-styled legislature, have “moved” a motion to get the government to quickly table a bill that will address sexual abuse against women.

The members, aged 15 to 30, “represent” each of the country’s 222 parliamentary seats.

The representative of Bukit Mertajam, Shameera Nasreen Ahamed Noordeen, said the Covid-19 pandemic has led to a sharp increase in the incidence of domestic violence. Data shows that there were 2,287 cases of domestic abuse last year, up 13% from 2019. A total of 1,263 of these were cases of sexual assault against women.

At a session last week, the delegates implored the government to take a serious view of the issue of domestic violence that, they said, is on the rise.

They said the increase in domestic abuse is proportionate to the rise in sexism and the patriarchal culture.

In outlining the steps that the government should take, Shameera said introducing sex education will help to instil in children not only the need for safe sex but also to refrain from sex crimes.

She cited job insecurity and the stress caused by the economic fallout of the Covid-19 pandemic as the primary factors that have led to violent behaviour.

“Existing laws should be amended to extend jail time to deter sexual offenders. Convicting the offender will also bring relief to the victim and help in their recovery,” she told theSun.

Shameera said support groups could help by providing victims sanctuary so that they will feel safe, and to help them overcome their trauma.

“Financial assistance is also essential, given that a lot of the victims depend on the perpetrators for monetary support. With financial aid available, they will be more prepared to file a complaint against their abusers,” she added.

Aqilah Kamarudin, a psychologist at Johor Women’s League (Jewel), said many victims of domestic violence often downplay their predicament.

“They frequently blame themselves. They make excuses for their husbands,” she told theSun. “For instance, they would say that their partners are stressed out at work or that they have failed to sexually please them.”

She said there were instances of women retracting their statements shortly after lodging police reports against their abusers.

Jewel is a non-profit, non-governmental organisation of women volunteers devoted to improving conditions for women and children.

Aqilah said the main causes of such abuse are financial stress, alcoholism, drug abuse and coercive sexual fetish intertwined with an addiction to pornography.

She advised victims to seek help at the one-stop crisis centre (OSCC) when they have been abused.

The OSCC is a multi-agency service centre that has a presence at all emergency and trauma departments in hospitals. It deals with domestic violence, sexual assault as well as child abuse and neglect. “The victim will be taken to a separate room and checked by women health specialists, after which a police report is filed,” she said.

Aqilah said the hospital will then inform the Welfare Department, which can help the victim find temporary shelter.

“The department will also issue an emergency protection order, or the police can issue an interim protection order to prevent the perpetrator from committing further acts of violence,” she added.

She added that anyone who knows of someone in an abusive relationship can help by maintaining regular contact with the victims to ensure they are safe, and to seek ways to effectively communicate with the victim without the knowledge of the abuser.

“Once you’ve created a communication channel (SMS or email) that’s safe for them to use, be discreet in communicating with them so they don’t come to any more harm,” she added.