Women’s Aid Organisation advocacy manager Gandipan Gopalan said the research should go beyond documenting challenges faced by men and examine how gender norms shape behaviour, relationships and violence.
GEORGE TOWN: A planned nationwide study on Malaysian men must be used to strengthen gender equality and prevent violence against women, rather than become a standalone exercise focused only on men’s issues, the Women’s Aid Organisation has cautioned.
Its advocacy manager Gandipan Gopalan said the research should go beyond documenting challenges faced by men and examine how gender norms shape behaviour, relationships and violence.
READ MORE:
Women remain underrepresented in Malaysia’s leadership roles
Survey: 60% Malaysians say wives must obey husbands, Singaporeans differ
He stressed the study must complement, not dilute, efforts to tackle gender inequality. “For decades, efforts to address gender inequality and violence against women have often focused primarily on supporting women and girls.
“While these services remain indispensable, we have consistently emphasised that working with women alone is not enough,” he told theSun.
Gandipan said lasting change required men and boys to be actively engaged as partners in challenging harmful gender norms, promoting healthy relationships and preventing violence.
He added that the study presented an opportunity to better understand how social expectations of masculinity influenced attitudes and behaviour.
Rigid gender stereotypes not only place unhealthy pressure on men but also reinforce unequal power dynamics and discrimination against women, he said.
“Available data on domestic violence continues to show the urgent need to address men’s attitudes and behaviours as part of prevention efforts, alongside ensuring survivors have access to protection, justice and support services.”
Gandipan said researchers should examine men’s attitudes towards gender equality, women’s rights, consent, caregiving, nonviolence and healthy relationships, noting international evidence consistently showed that promoting equitable gender norms benefited both women and men.
“We would encourage the researchers behind this study to look at established models such as the International Men and Gender Equality Survey, which has helped translate findings on masculinity into real policy change in other countries,” he said.
The survey, first launched in 2011 by Promundo, now known as Equimundo, and the International Centre for Research on Women, has since been conducted in more than 30 countries.
It has covered more than 67,000 men and women on issues such as fatherhood, caregiving, gender-based violence and attitudes towards gender equality.
Recent statistics underscore the need to better understand the drivers of domestic violence and unhealthy relationship dynamics.
In March this year, the Dewan Rakyat was told that domestic violence cases rose to a record 7,116 in 2024 from 5,507 the previous year, prompting the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry to announce plans to review the Domestic Violence Act 1994.
Former deputy minister Datuk Seri Noraini Ahmad also told the Dewan Rakyat in October last year that police recorded 1,183 domestic violence cases involving male victims in 2025.
The figure stood at 1,778 in 2022 before declining to 1,213 in 2023 and rising again to 1,865 in 2024.
She said several initiatives had been introduced through the National Population and Family Development Board, including the Parenting@Work programme, which promotes mutual respect between partners and helps reduce the risk of abuse, including against men, under the 13th Malaysia Plan.
Deputy Minister Lim Hui Ying said Talian Kasih 15999 received 9,327 domestic violencerelated calls between 2022 and May this year, out of about 127,000 calls involving various social and welfare issues.
She said every domestic violence complaint received during the period had been addressed through measures such as Emergency Protection Orders, Interim Protection Orders and placement in safe shelters.
Lim also added that domestic violence was no longer an issue affecting only women, as cases involving male victims had also increased.
Gandipan said supporting men’s well-being and advancing women’s rights were not competing goals, but mutually reinforcing objectives.
He said the study should adopt a gendertransformative approach by involving women’s rights organisations, researchers and affected communities throughout the process.
“The value of this study will lie not just in what it reveals about Malaysian men, but in how those findings are acted upon,” he said.
On July 2, the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry announced it would undertake the 18-month Kajian Lelaki Budiman Negara under the 13th Malaysia Plan to better understand the realities, pressures and challenges faced by Malaysian men.
The findings are expected to guide future policies and programmes on men’s well-being and development.
