Truly “The Sickest Mannequin Challenge” in Malaysia

Truly “The Sickest Mannequin Challenge” in Malaysia

by | Jan 11, 2017 | people, society, video

"The Sickest Mannequin Challenge"

Video by P.S. the Children

Child Trafficking is a serious problem in Malaysia

Underaged boys and girls are sold or abducted from all neighbouring countries into Malaysia for prostitution and child labour.

Sex

Children forced to engage in sexual acts for money

Begging

Burmese children are smuggled into Malaysia for begging

Labour

Children work up to 17 hours a day in rubber plantations

Scavenging

Children used in recycling garbage dumps in urban areas

A country can be involved in Child Trafficking in 3 ways

Origin

Where the children come from

Transit

Where the children are moved through or kept temporarily

Destination

Where the children will finally end up

Malaysia is one of the few countries that is counted to be all three.

Traffickers take advantage of children imported from less developed countries such as Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Eastern Europe, Russia, Uzbekistan, India as well as those from impoverished local families.

While some traffickers keep the children here, others use Malaysia as a stopping point before sending their ‘products’ to places as far away as Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, Europe, Canada, USA, Australia, and South America.

> 1,000,000

More than 1 million children are being brought into the sex market ever year worldwide.

That’s 2 innocent children forced into prostitution every minute.

“Did you ask to have sex with all these men?”

“Did you ask to be sold as a sex slave?”

“Nursery Crimes” by P.S. the Children

What does the Law say?

Currently, those who are caught dealing with child trafficking or prostitution in Malaysia are charged under the Child Act, a series of laws meant to provide protection for children in need.

Although the Child Act was amended recently, the punishment for sexually abusing a child is simply a fine of RM50,000 and/or no more than 15 years in jail, a small price to pay for such a heinous crime.

In addition, prosecuting paedophiles and child abusers in Malaysia is difficult due to the common citizen’s lack of awareness and a culture that encourages “hushing up” these kind of events. The arrest of paedophile Richard Huckle last year caused massive outrage when it was revealed that he had managed to sexually abuse hundreds of young children before getting caught.

Unfortunately, the current laws are not enough to shut down all the traffickers working in this day and age. While the Child Act and Penal Code covers physical harm or abuse, some crimes fall into a gray area which makes it harder to prosecute.

The main problem is that while the government has signed the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), Malaysia has NOT implemented the Optional Protocol on the sale, prostitution and pornography of children. There are also currently no laws concerning crimes conducted against children online, which is concerning as children are particularly vulnerable to online predators who may sexually “groom” the child without ever meeting them in person.

In an interview with R.AGE last year, Unicef Malaysia representative Marianne Clark-Hattingh noted that legislation in Malaysia needs to be updated in order to keep up with the rapid development of communication and multimedia technology.

“Online abuse and exploitation most often takes place in the deep privacy of the mobile phone, the computer, or any other electronic device. It can move anonymously from the private to the public sphere, and across countries and borders, quickly,” she said.

What can you do to help put a stop to this odious industry?

For a start, you can sign the petition below from the Citizens Against Child Sexual Abuse calling for new laws and harsher punishments to be set up. By pressuring the government to act, we can send a stern message against child abusers and traffickers and stop them in their tracks.

Support laws to cover sexual abuse crimes

Sign the petition

And then, share this video and article because raising public awareness and admitting that we have a real problem in our own backyard, is the first step towards fighting this uphill battle.

“You may choose to look the other way but you can never say again that you did not know.”

William Wilberforce

Are parents responsible for child abuse?

Violence against children is unacceptable. But child abuse is rampant in Malaysia, and mostly done by parents. Does poverty makes abuse justifiable?
Watch video

A daughter’s journey in getting to know her father

A daughter’s journey in getting to know her father

by | Aug 19, 2016 | people

A daughter’s journey in getting to know her father

A daughter’s journey in getting to know her father

19

AUGUST, 2016

By Sheryll Paul

Not a lot of us know what our parents lives were like before they had us, probably because you never think there would be much worth knowing about. To be fair though, most of our parents probably did live lives that weren’t very shocking.

Ashleigh Lim’s father, on the other hand, has a life that would be incomparable to most. As she began her journey in getting to know her father, she decided to take things a step further and film the entire process.

Ashleigh Lim

Stories From My Father is a short film by Ashleigh Lim, a 40 year old simulation artist from Muar. The film documents her experience as she goes on a journey to discover her father’s dark past.  

Trailer for Stories From My Father

Ashleigh’s father was detained without trial, from 1968 to 1974, under the Internal Security Act for his involvement in the Labour Party which was subsequently outlawed because of its pro-communist leanings.

Poster of Stories From My Father

The film offers us a glimpse into his experience during his detention and his life after it. It also follows his continued friendship with other ex-detainees as well as life with his family.

Ashleigh wanted to share her father’s story with the world and so pitched her idea in an entry for a film grant competition organised annually by FreedomFilmFest. She ended up winning the grant and started making the film in June of this year.

“The production period is quite short, only 2 months, so it was very hectic. I work a full time job so I only have weekends to shoot. My team was also very small, only 3 people. It is me, my camera man, who is also my editor, and my production manager who gives me proper input and helps me with the overall vision of the film,” she said.

She did say, however, that the people at KOMAS, the organisers of FreedomFilmFest, were incredibly supportive and made the experience a lot easier for her.

“Before making this film, I didn’t know much about the short film industry in Malaysia. I watched certain social documentaries, but not any from Malaysia. Most of the films that KOMAS helps produce are actually very good and opens your mind.”

She was first inspired to make the film when Seong Foong & Victor, winners of last year’s FreedomFilmFest film grant, encouraged her to share her father’s story.

“Don’t only watch mainstream films.”

“They made a film called Memory as Resistance, through a grant from KOMAS as well. Their film premiered at the festival last year. They heard about my father’s story when they came to Muar to do the film premiere. They got interested in it and thought it was a great story to film,” Ashleigh said.

When asked about how her father felt about the whole thing, Ashleigh said that he was, in fact, extremely excited by the idea of sharing his stories.

“I think he was very happy. He never thought he would be someone in a film. He’s been very supportive too. When I was small, he didn’t try to hide his story, but we didn’t talk about it much. I never knew his whole story. I think it’s mostly because I never brought it up. It’s not really something people in the family like talking about. We preferred just the regular chit chat. So whatever my father described was a total shock to me.”

This is actually Ashleigh’s first film and, since she’s had no experience with the film industry in the past, ended up being a huge learning experience for her. She said her favourite part of the process was the experience she had shooting.

“It was a very challenging experience but I enjoyed it. Learning how to form the structure of the stories was really nice. You get to know the different ways to tell stories and what types of presentation will attract people,” she said. “A friend of mine and I are also working on doing motion graphics for the film, meaning 2d animation. People always think documentaries have too much talking since most films just try to show as much information as they can to the audience. I don’t think social documentaries should be boring. Even if you have a good story, the way you present it is important.”

Ashleigh also hopes that the film will encourage viewers to learn more about the underrepresented or less talked about issues people in our country face.

“Don’t only watch mainstream films,” she said. “I want people to try opening their minds. A lot of people don’t like talking to other people who have different opinions. Try to be more understanding of other people’s stories. Close minded people are not good for society.”

Poster of Memory As Residence

Stories From My Father will premiere at FreedomFilmFest 2016 on the 20th of August at the PJ Live Arts theater.

Entry is by donation of RM20 for the whole day or RM150 for the whole festival which runs from the 20th to 27th of August. Free admission is given to students and senior citizens.

Learn more about FreedomFilmFest

The Fulbright Focus: Sharanya Premanathan

The Fulbright Focus: Sharanya Premanathan

by | Nov 18, 2015 | learn, people

VOX.MK speaks to Sharanya Premanathan on her experience in New York as a Fulbright Scholarship recipient.

US law schools seemed so unattainable to me … as they seem to be expensive, elite, competitive and far away.

Sharanya Premanathan

Sharanya graduated from Columbia Law School in New York having completed her Master of Laws (LLM) in 2014 as a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar and recipient of the Parker School Certificate for Achievement in International and Comparative Law.

She has practiced as a corporate lawyer in Kuala Lumpur in the area of intellectual property, financial services and corporate/commercial law, and is back in Malaysia passionate to use her legal knowledge and skills in impactful work that inspires her.

The legal profession … is a continuous legal education – you are always being kept on your toes following the latest laws, cases and commentaries. A lot of what is important in law reflects what is going on in the world.

Well travelled from young

Sharanya’s childhood was an interesting one as her father was working in the Merchant Navy – unlike most children, she had the opportunity to travel extensively during her younger days.

This well-timed exposure ensured that Sharanya could nurture the confidence needed to fit in anywhere she wanted.

There was never a sense of fear of the unknown but a deep curiosity and sense of adventure about the world.

Sharanya feels fortunate to have a thoroughly supportive family as she was made to believe that all opportunities are accessible if she could ‘unlock her own potential’.

In spite of her privileges, she was taught to be grateful for her opportunities, to not feel entitled, and to work hard for what she wanted.

And work hard she did, eventually graduating from Gray’s Inn as a Barrister. As a student, she spent most of her holidays interning in Singapore, the UK and KL. She promptly returned to Malaysia to practice as an Advocate & Solicitor, working in IP, financial services, and corporate/commercial law.

A passion for humanitarian causes

Whilst working full time as a lawyer in 2011 – 2013, she continued to stay involved in community service projects. Sharanya is passionate about access to education, especially for impoverished communities.

Some of the things she has done included providing free tuition classes at a local primary school to students who could barely read or write in English and did not have literate parents to help them or funds to pay a tutor outside of school.

The effusive assistance and encouragement from Deepa was the turning point for Sharanya as she made the jump. Deepa also had the networking prowess and introduced Sharanya to other Fulbright alumni who helped encourage her during what she calls an otherwise ‘long and overwhelming process’.

Her successful application saw her being accepted into the Fulbright Scholarship Program, enrolling in none other than the prestigious Columbia Law School in New York.

Law School Part II

Attending an Ivy league law school and living in New York City was like having a (few) dreams come true!

Sometime in 2013, she learnt of the Fulbright programme through Fulbright alumni and lawyer Deepa Nambiar. Having thought for some time about pursuing a Masters, Sharanya had looked at various scholarships to top universities in the world, and would not settle for less than a top 10 university.

LLM at Columbia

The Masters of Law (LLM) at Columbia Law School is an intensive one-year programme over two semesters. She did not intend to specialise, but instead, to diversify her legal knowledge base, and was allowed to tailor her course to suit her professional and academic interests. Although US law strictly is not applicable in Malaysia, some courses she opted for covered a variety of international laws and policies, which are relevant here.

As Malaysian regulations and enforcement develops, I felt it was useful to understand and learn about the US laws for instance in the area of US securities laws or New York environmental laws.

The Fulbright experience has made me acutely aware of the common humanity that binds us and made me more confident in reaching out to people from various backgrounds.

She felt that the level of debate and discussion in such a global classroom was also elevated, which was truly valuable due to the aggregation of shared, global views.

Her classes at Columbia were eye-opening experiences, and soon after completion, she was exposed to negotiations, foreign diplomacy, world affairs, intergovernmental negotiations and cultural exchange when she interned at the Malaysian Mission to the United Nations at the UN headquarters in New York.

The stint overseas has helped me broaden my horizons to a global perspective in a very real way. I learnt to ask questions and be resourceful in seeking answers. Being surrounded by such highly motivated people in the pursuit of knowledge and executing their projects really inspired me to never ‘settle’ for mediocrity or to accept a situation because this is how it is always done

Invaluable trans-national experience

The programme allowed Sharanya the opportunity to collaborate with people from various cultures in course work, social events and cultural shows. To her, this provided an invaluable lesson in focusing on what unites people – and how differences could be utilized in a mutually beneficial way to reach a common goal.

By working with the local community in New York, she learnt a great deal about the unique struggles of disadvantaged communities in the developed world.

Currently, she is in talks about certain projects in the area of access to education and assistance to refugees that is in the very early stages. Meeting with other Fulbright Alumni and hearing about the initiatives that they are pursuing locally inspires her to do more.

The Fulbright experience has made me acutely aware of the common humanity that binds us and made me more confident in reaching out to people from various backgrounds.

Words of Advice

Graduate education in the US allowed Sharanya to be exposed to a lot of instructive, intelligent and welcome debates between students and lecturers that encouraged and inspired the seeking of knowledge and dispelled ignorance.

She believes this is a positive thing, especially so when it concerns the Asian mentality, where sometimes it is considered impolite or disrespectful to question authority or teachers.

… never compare your own background with someone else’s and assume certain opportunities are not available to you because you do not fit a ‘profile’.

Having successfully gone through the program and her successes in life, Sharanya has a (few) words of advice:

“Firstly, never compare your own background with someone else’s and assume certain opportunities are not available to you because you do not fit a ‘profile’.”

“Secondly, try and aim for seemingly unachievable goals. The Fulbright program in particular encourages a wide range of study objectives.”

“Thirdly, stay constantly intellectually stimulated by talking about issues that matter to you.”

Jamilah Lim

Jamilah Lim

Writer

Jamilah cares deeply about the human condition. A humanist, skeptic and feminist, she is a proponent of both human and animal rights. An avid gamer, she lives somewhere in PJ with her two cats and plays Dota 2 in her free time.

The Fulbright Focus: Cecila Louis, Educator, Change-seeker and Inspirer

The Fulbright Focus: Cecila Louis, Educator, Change-seeker and Inspirer

by | Oct 16, 2015 | learn, people

Having almost 3 decades of teaching under her belt, Cecilia Zamira Louis recently returned from her eye-opening experience in the US as a fellow of the Fulbright ILEP (International Leaders in Education Program).

The ILEP is a cross-cultural exchange opportunity for Malaysian educators to be posted to universities in the US in a semester-long cultural, professional and educational exchange program.

I had the pleasure of meeting Cecilia and a few others recently at a debriefing event for recipients of various Fulbright programs in Malaysia hosted by the Malaysian-American Commission on Educational Exchange (MACEE), a bi-national Fulbright Commission established by the the US and Malaysian governments in 1963 to promote inter-cultural understanding through education and educational exchange between the two countries.

Humble Beginnings

Cecilia is an educator and GKMP Bahasa (Guru Kanan Mata Pelajaran, or, Head of Language Department) at a school in Gelang Patah, Johor.

She started in the 1980s teaching music at the primary level, and, after a decade of moving around schools, she eventually picked up English from the headmasters of each of the 3-4 schools, and which saw her studying TESL to improve her proficiency in the language.

After her graduation, she was posted to a Secondary School in Skudai, Johor Bahru, which she recounts was a ‘huge cultural shock’. She felt a great emotional burden as she attempted to counsel students who were suffering a lot in their journey of self-discovery as they transitioned from primary to secondary school.

Through her ex-classmate, she learnt of the Fulbright program and was encouraged to try and apply as she was greatly concerned for the welfare of her students and sought to improve the quality of education she could provide.

Her successful application thus saw her move to the states for four and a half months as she was posted to St Rose College in Albany, New York. Her program comprised lessons and audit classes with a middle school in Albany.

I learnt that when planning your lesson, teachers must have a clear instructional routine that will help students practice the skills needed in future. Also, students need different routines, as different children learn in different ways.

As teachers we need to understand what is going on in the mind of a child, especially teenagers.

Cecila Louis

At the Neero Conference in Portsmouth, New Hampshire

She was also exposed to different perspectives on education during her exchanges with academics and fellow educators such as through conferences and meetings.

Cecilia at an audit class on ‘strategies and middle school education’

 

Linked Learning

One of the things Cecilia was excited to share about was the method of learning employed in the classes she was at. Teachers of different subject matters frequently collaborated to approach the education of their students in a thematic manner.

Unlike in Malaysia, where students are ‘spoonfed’ information from textbooks and are forced to memorise and regurgitate them during exams, students in her classes in Albany were given a specific theme each month.

From Mathematics, to History, to Geography to even Science, their teachers would prepare teaching and homework material that revolves around a certain theme, say, the Civil War, and this theme would pervade most of their classes in creative ways.

Mathematics, for example, would have Civil War-themed problem questions, while English reading and comprehension passages would be about the Civil War. Literature would touch on Poetry during the Civil War, and so on and so forth.

This linked approach thus helps students to remember facts, concepts and theories more easily as they can relate more easily from the exposure. This makes learning and understanding less reliant on rote memorisation. Furthermore, classes are also more fun as teachers apply interactive elements such as energizers and refreshers during lesson time.

Cross-cultural Learning

Cecilia’s school experience saw her being partnered with Mrs Mickey Young from Farnsworth Middle School, Albany.

Mrs Young (right) is an excellent educator. She welcomed me into her class, and shared her knowledge, time and about herself.

A sweet welcome greeted Cecilia at Farnsworth Middle School

A sweet welcome greeted Cecilia at Farnsworth Middle School

One thing that I can boast about is that I actually taught in an American class. I taught all the four classes for a week. It was so exciting and the kids were lovely.

farnsworth middle school albany 2

Farnsworth Middle School, Albany

I used a strategy learnt during my Audit Class – Anticipation Guide, to teach about Batik.

The American Experience

Cecilia felt that she assimilated well into the campus and American culture in Albany. She had the opportunity to visit the Niagara Falls, dine at a posh Italian restaurant and even catch the Broadway musical, The Lion King!

Cecilia at the Broadway Musical, The Lion King.

Cecilia at the Broadway Musical, The Lion King.

 

“I felt at home, and did not feel homesick or lost. This can only be because of the way the American people behave.”, said Cecilia.

Cecilia at one of her Sponsor-a-scholar meetups at Albany High, NY

She was also free to join any society in college and she chose to volunteer her time with parents of autistic children (The Friday Knights program) and the ‘Sponsor-a-scholar’ program (an outreach program by St Rose students to interact and connect with High School students).

I guess when you are a first world nation, there are certain things that you do that set you apart from the rest. You can walk up to anyone if you need anything and they will try their very best to help. No matter who you are, anyone and everyone will greet each other.

Cecilia Louis

There was no shortage of things to do and places to go and sights to see in the US!

 

Cecilia did not just stay in Albany in her 4 months, though. The stipend provided to her for her time there was more than sufficient for her to travel around the country.

Back in Malaysia

Since coming back to Malaysia, she has only done one course, with a primary school in Kluang on Teaching Strategies. The generous stipend given was also enough to allow Cecilia to purchase much-needed electronic teaching aids and equipment such as a laptop, an LCD projector and a printer, which she has put to good use in her classes, making her lessons far more interesting.

As a determined and dedicated educator, Cecilia is always giving her 100% to her school and her students.

She has made attempts to reach out to offer her services to several primary schools and the PPD (Pejabat Pendidikan Daerah, or, Local Education Offices) to share what she has learnt, but sadly, none of them have actually expressed any interest in it, much to her frustration.

In Malaysia, they look not for qualification but “kulitfication”…

… so what I do is to share everything that I know, the teaching practices that I have learnt and tried out in my own classroom, on my Facebook.

I have quite a few junior and senior teachers who are my FB friends, and so that is how I am spreading my knowledge.

Cecilia Louis

The Fulbright-MACEE Program

The Fulbright Program is the flagship international exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government and is designed to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries.

It has accepted approximately 294,000 participants, chosen for their academic merit and leadership potential, with the opportunity to study, teach and conduct research, exchange ideas and contribute to finding solutions to shared international concerns.

ful-logo-wh

Learn more
Jamilah Lim

Jamilah Lim

Writer

Jamilah cares deeply about the human condition. A humanist, skeptic and feminist, she is a proponent of both human and animal rights. An avid gamer, she lives somewhere in PJ with her two cats and plays Dota 2 in her free time.

Tackling baby-dumping in Malaysia

Tackling baby-dumping in Malaysia

by | Jan 26, 2011 | News, people, society, video

Produced by Megan C. Radford and Shufiyan Shukur

In 2010, ninety-one babies were abandoned by their mothers in drains, washrooms, mosques, and other public places in Malaysia. Then, in the first week of 2011 alone, seven babies were abandoned, an average of one a day.

Experts say that the main cause of Malaysian baby-dumpings is the stigma that young unwed mothers face from the conservative Muslim community.

Even health care providers have been reported to demand marriage certificates from women in labour, to prove that their children are legitimate.

Girls are sometimes no longer welcome in their homes or families when they become pregnant. Under this kind of pressure, many feel that the best way to deal with their unwanted baby is to get rid of them as quickly as possible.

Malaysiakini spoke to two NGOs and the office of the Minister of Women, Family and Community Development to try and get a handle on what these young girls go through, and what is being done to help them and their fragile newborn children.

Babies for sale in Malaysia

Abandoned Babies in Malaysia (Part 1)

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