Hope for domestic violence survivors

Hope for domestic violence survivors

by | Mar 13, 2017 | people, society

Hope for domestic violence survivors

Tan Heng-Lee | 13 March 2017

When her husband hit her, Alice knew she had to leave.

She called 999, and they gave her Women’s Aid Organisation’s (WAO) hotline number. With WAO’s assistance, she lodged a police report and obtained an interim protection order. The police supported her throughout the process, even arranging her transportation to meet with the deputy public prosecutor. The court subsequently found her husband guilty of domestic violence.

Alice obtained justice because various stakeholders worked together in responding to her case.

Her story is one of 21 stories featured in WAO’s newly-launched case study report – ‘Perspectives on Domestic Violence: A Coordinated Community Response to a Community Issue’. In the report, domestic violence survivors share their experiences leaving violence, accessing protection, and seeking justice. Their stories show how a coordinated community response can change the lives of women facing domestic violence.

Download report in English

Bahasa Malaysia

“This response must come not only from NGOs and the police, the welfare department and other government stakeholders, but from every community member. At the centre of this coordinated community response must always be the survivor,” explained Natasha Dandavati, WAO’s advocacy officer and author of the report.

The report also highlights WAO statistics and recommendations for policy makers to strengthen the response to domestic violence. The case study report can be downloaded at wao.org.my.

Together with the report, WAO also launched ‘Harapan Sentiasa Ada’, an art exhibit at Masjid Jamek LRT station, on display from March to mid-May 2017. The art exhibit features artwork by domestic violence survivors, their quotes, and illustrations of TINA. TINA or ‘Think I Need Aid’, is the WAO SMS/WhatsApp help service – conceptualised as a person survivors can talk to.

The art exhibit is sponsored by Selangor Properties Berhad and supported by Think City, as part of the Arts On The Move programme – a joint initiative by Think City and Prasarana Malaysia Berhad.

“Our art exhibit amplifies the voices of domestic violence survivors, many of them now empowered advocates in their own right. Their art offers hope to other survivors, and encourages them to seek protection and justice,” said Tan Heang-Lee, WAO’s communications officer.

“Art and stories make the impersonal personal. By highlighting the stories of domestic violence survivors, we also hope that the public will recognise our collective responsibility to reach out and support survivors. Domestic violence is a community issue – and it takes all of us to end domestic violence,” added Tan.

The launch was held in conjunction with International Women’s Day.

Through these projects, WAO hopes to amplify the voices of domestic violence survivors, enhance their access to protection, and ensure a coordinated community response to domestic violence. Together, we can bring hope and change the lives of domestic violence survivors.

If you or someone you know experiences abuse

Call the WAO Hotline at 03 7956 3488. Or SMS/WhatsApp TINA at 018 988 8058.

TAN HEANG-LEE is communications officer, Women’s Aid Organisation (WAO).

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7

1 in 4 women experience Domestic Violence during her lifetime and more than half of these women have children that watch them helplessly as they are abused.

Repercussions of Domestic Violence vary from woman to woman depending on the type abuse they would have experienced. It can be from their partners, members of the family or total strangers.

The different types of abuse are:

Physical This includes Slapping, hitting, kicking, choking, restraining or any other torture that involves human contact.
Emotional In this type of abuse comes intimidation, degradation, being yelled at or being given a silent treatment. This will also lower their self esteem.
Sexual Sexual activity without her consent and without any contraceptives.
Verbal When you are being called names, being accused of doing things that you haven’t done, when for example your spouse lies to you.
Social Yes! This is actually a form of abuse, that includes a lot of things like a controlling husband, being ill treated in the public or stalking you wherever and whatever you do.
Financial Financial abuse varies from not being able to support the family making them starve, Or it’s the woman who is working but her money is being used by her husband for things that do not benefit the family.
Human Trafficking Although this stands as another different and serious issue, it still remains a type of abuse, as women are forced work in terrible conditions as prostitutes, servants or in farming areas. They are often beaten up, drugged and starved. If she refuses, her children will be at risk.

According to the Kuala Lumpur Hospital Emergency and Trauma Department, 4000 cases have been reported from January 2016 to January 2017 in Malaysia. With the highest of 498 in Selangor and most cases reported from Malays compared to Indians and Chinese.

Apparently reports have increased rapidly compared to other years. This is because more people have become aware of Domestic Violence as a crime, and are now reporting.

Examples of Malaysians who suffered recent domestic violence are Ana and Shona Roy.

Ana experienced domestic violence for 13 years. Her husband forced her to stop working and he treated her like a slave. She faced physical abuse and the only thing that made her endure all this was for her two sons. Read more

Shona Roy was married to a Saudi-Arabian man, and endure domestic violence for 8 years. The husband was cheating, violent to the extent that he chased her around with a knife, refused her custody of her children and then tried to kidnap them from the hands of their mother.

Shona Sinha Roy // image via says.com

Imagine the pain that these two women have endured. Would you want to suffer the same fate? Take not, it can happen to anyone. That brings us to the next issue, how can we stop Domestic Violence. In Order for us to prevent this trivial issue we need to be aware of the causes.

Remember, the abused is not the cause of the problem. It is the abuser who is in total control and who takes full responsibility for us.

Abusive relationships, early marriages and violence make women susceptible in marriage. They will not have the courage to say no to an abusive husband. In cases where there are financial problems and employment is scarce, they are scared they will not be able to take care of their children so they’d rather be abused and have their children safe.

Those that stay in an abusive relationship for the sake of their children are making the biggest mistakes of their lives, and also their children’s lives because they are greater chances that your children will also resort to Domestic Violence thinking it’s a normal way of living.

But is it fair for women to be caught in such a dilemma, and in this day in age? No matter how many times women beg for help, society turns a blind eye to them, families put pressure on them, and people around trampled on them, make them realized that they don’t have a voice in this world. But after all, they’re still living and fighting for themselves until now. Their perseverance is admirable though they were treated badly. Without women, can the world be advanced like this? And why must these unfortunate people suffer severe consequences and unjust though they have devoted a lot for humanity?

In conclusion, violence against women is a difficult problem to solve. This is not always under control to be able to fix at all. But people will always have the most reasonable resolutions. I hope that this issue will soon be resolved smoothly so that all of the women will no longer have to suffer from those pains.

WOMEN’S AID ORGANISATION (WAO) HELPLINE

WAO Hotline: 03 7956 3488

WhatsApp/SMS TINA: 018 988 8058

WAO Hotline: 03 7956 3488

WhatsApp/SMS TINA: 018 988 8058

Understand the common causes that lead to domestic violence and ways to prevent it.

Common causes of domestic violence