With the
aim to educate Malaysian females on the facts and myths of sexual violence,
“Voices with Hope”, a virtual sexual violence awareness campaign was
organised on 27 March 2021 via Facebook Live. It was a sustainability
campaign organised by 43 final year students of Bachelor of Corporate
Communication (Honours) (CC) from
UTAR Faculty of Creative
Industries (FCI) who are currently doing their UJMC3034 Event Planning and
Management II subject. The campaign was held in collaboration with Perak
Women for Women (PWW) and UTAR Student Representative Council (SRC).
Guided
by their Advisor-cum-FCI Department of Mass Communication Lecturer Cheah Shu
Xu, the campaign served as a platform to raise awareness regarding the helps
available for sexual violence. It featured various activities including
forum session, talks, lucky draw sessions and social activists sharing
session. On top of that, a virtual gallery titled “We Survived: This is Our
Story” was held concurrently. The virtual gallery featured twenty
confessions from actual victims of sexual violence, with the hope to
increase the public’s awareness of the sexual violence issue.
The
campaign was moderated by Charath Nair N. Suresh and Charlene Darveenia
Lionel.
Dr David
Tneh giving his welcome remark
Welcoming everyone to the campaign, FCI Dean Dr David Tneh Cheng Eng said,“
'Voices with hope', is an event to raise awareness concerning sexual violence
against women. I would like to thank the entire CC students, who were led by
their Chairperson Ng Yoke Xiang, for pulling off this very unique and
amazing campaign. It is also a very timely campaign knowing that in the
month of March we have International Women’s Day. Pulling this campaign off
during a pandemic is never easy. I would like to applaud the students for
working very hard in making this campaign a successful one.
Rest assured that members of the public who joined us
today will have a very fun-filled day as there are several activities
ongoing today. I would also like to thank the sponsors for supporting the
students, as well as our colleagues for supervising them.”
Cynthia Lau congratulating the students
Head of Department of Mass Communication Cynthia Lau Pui-Shan, on the
other hand, congratulated the students and said, “Sexual violence is an act
that is committed against someone’s will. According to MyHEALTH, the act of
sexual violence ranges from rape to attempted rape, abusive sexual contact,
verbal sexual harassment and unwanted touching. In recent times, the hashtag
'#MeToo' movement has ignited awareness of sexual violence against women.
This includes Malaysian women and women around the world. According to news
reported by The Star, as of September 2020 itself, there were countless
posts on social media about sexually harassed victims recounting their
experience of being violated by people whom they trust.” Meanwhile, she also
thanked the sponsors and collaborator (PWW) for their support and for making
the students’ campaign a reality and success.
Ng thanking everyone for the support
Ng Yoke
Xiang, the Programme Head of this campaign said,”
Through this event, we hope that we will be in a position to raise awareness
regarding sexual violence. This campaign is also organised to encourage
sexual violence victims to voice out. All the profits from this campaign
will be donated to the PWW to improve the well-being of the victims and
society. I would like to thank our campaign advisor for her enormous
contribution to the success of this campaign and her contributions have
given us much hope.”
She advised, “Remember we should be brave enough to stand up against
sexual violence and break the silence of abuse. 'Lift your VOICE, Glint the
HOPE'.” She also expressed her gratitude to the speakers, collaboration
partners, ambassador and generous sponsors who played an important role, the
members as well in making the campaign a reality and a success.
During
the forum session, the moderator who is UTAR FCI Department of Mass
Communication academic Dr Sharon Jacqueline Albert Wilson said, “This is
indeed a very meaningful Saturday morning that we can get together and share
a very meaningful topic on sexual violence, especially this month is the
International Women’s month. According to the World Health Organisation, it
has actually reported that one in three women has suffered physical or
sexual violence. That is an alarming number. The fact that nearly everybody
in this world, in almost every country women suffers sexual violence in some
form or shape is disturbing.”
Forum
session with Mary (top, most left), Madeleine Yong (top, middle), Dr Sharon
(top, most right) and Komathi (bottom, most right)
Invited
to be the panellists to share their valuable opinions on sexual violence in
the forum were PWW Council Member Mary Anne Joseph, Co-creator of Power of
Play-cum-Founder of P.S the Children Madeleine Yong and UTAR Faculty of Arts
and Social Science Department of Psychology and Counselling Lecturer Komathi
Lokithasan.
During
the session, they shared their opinion on why sexual violence occurred and
how knowing someone or trusting someone is specifically the contributing
factor to sexual violence. They shared facts about whether sexual violence
happens among different sexes as well as the taboos pertaining to sexual violence. They also
shared
how it doesn’t defer from the urban and rural areas as it happens across
every segment and status of society with not only the children, young adults
but also persons with disabilities, migrant workers and refugees as well.
They also shared their opinion on how prevalent is online sexual violence,
the symptoms of a person who is suffering from violation and possible ways
to recover from trauma.
Places
where the victims could reach out for help
“As
mentioned by the panellists, a lot of times, victims of sexual violence are
silenced by the perpetrator through extortion, through blackmail and through
power imbalance. Sometimes they are quiet because of the consequences that
they see; they think that they might be judged for what has happened or they
might be stigmatised. Hence, if you do know someone who is going through
this, do reach out to the organisation,” urged Dr Sharon.
Ng
(bottom) and Charath (middle) presenting the mock cheque to Mary (top)
The
campaign then saw a mock cheque presentation amounting RM2,000 by Ng and
Charath on behalf of “Voices with Hope” to PWW. The funds were contributed
by the campaign’s sponsors and donors, and through pre-event activities such
as “I’m Here For You” and fundraising activity.
Receiving on behalf of PWW, Mary enthused, “We are overwhelmed with your
contribution. It is a great honour for us to receive this amount. Thank you
for your support and the time given to us to talk about the awareness on
women and gender equality. On behalf of PWW, we really thank you, thank the
public, the university and the management for the time taken. We hope to be
in touch and work together with UTAR. We are grateful and we would continue
doing this. Please bring more awareness of women issues. I hope the
university students had a fruitful session today. At any one point if you
need our help, please do let us know.”
The
campaign was followed by two insightful talks presented by Kinohimitsu
Malaysia Nutritionist Nur Syahnadz Zareith and Vibrance Pelvic Health Centre
Sexologist Andrea Koh.
Nur
delivered her talk titled “Caring for Yourself is Caring for Your Health”.
“As we all know, the domestic violence cases in Malaysia has increased
drastically especially during the Movement Control Order (MCO) period.
Victims who suffered from the abuse either mentally or physically were
experiencing emotional distress. They kept asking and questioning themselves
why they deserve this kind of treatment; are they not worthy to live?” said
Nur.
Nur
explaining why physical health is important to create a better-self
“However,
according to research, with the advancement of technology, these victims
have actually
reached out to the world. They opened up about their
painful experiences; they also shared how they grew out of it. Some of them
even exposed the person who violated them and also how they grew not to be
violated anymore. All of the experiences and stories shared had one thing in
common, the victims realising that they have to start changing their way of
life. They have to start respecting themselves and loving themselves more
because they deserve better than being violated,” she continued. She then
explained the definition of loving ourselves and how eating well is a form
of self-love.
She also provided guidance on simple steps to take care
of our health.
Tips for a healthy body
She advised, “We have to learn to cherish, respect and love ourselves
first in order for others to respect and love us.”
Nur
(right) attending to the Q&A from the participants
On the
other hand, Andrea Koh delivered her talk titled “Sexual Violence in a
Relationship”. “According to CDC (Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention), sexual violence is sexual activity when consent is not obtained
or freely given. Everything we do, no matter with whom or in what situation,
is considered sexual violence, harassment and assault when we are doing it
without the person’s consent. This issue is actually quite common in our
society but it is not taken seriously and, most of the time, people are left
alone to deal with it.”
F-R-I-E-S explaining the definition of consent provided by the Women's Aid
Organisation
She then
explained the different types of sexual violence. Focusing on sexual
coercion, she explained, “Sexual coercion is done in a nonphysical way. The
victims may not be able to prove to people that they are being violated.
Sexual coercion in a relationship is common because it may happen on purpose
or without us knowing it. In another word, it means that you are forcing or
pressuring someone into giving what you want.” She shared some common sexual
pressures experienced by her customers from their partners. She also shared
some negative views of a person who has fear of sex and its effect of
negativity. She concluded her talk by explaining the importance of changing
our view towards sex especially for the people who experienced sexual trauma
and how we can create intimacy in other ways.
Education
and awareness on relationships and sex
She
advised, “If you have experienced some form of sexual trauma, kindly seek
professional help to overcome your fear because the longer you leave it
unresolved, the harder it is to overcome it.”
“Wheelofnames.com” determines the lucky winners of the day
The
campaign also saw the announcement on top ten winners who participated in a
pre-event activity called “Six Words, One Story” competition.
Some of
the winners’ masterpiece in the “Six Words, One Story” competition
Social
activists sharing session with Dr Lim (top left), Prof Sajaratulnisah
(bottom left) and Chong (bottom right)
The
social activists sharing session saw speakers from the University of Malaya
Faculty of Medicine Department of Primary Care Medicine Prof Sajaratulnisah
Othman presenting on “Supporting Sexual Violence Survivors in Healthcare
System”; Department of Psychological Medicine Psychiatrist and Lecturer Dr
Lim Poh Khuen presenting on “Mental Health Impact on Sexual Violence” and
Parti Sosialis Malaysia Central Committee Chong Yee Shan presenting on
“Violence towards the LGBT Community”.
In her
talk, Prof Sajaratulnisah explained the different types of sexual violence
and said, “It is illegal to share sexual images or videos in Malaysia
especially when the intent is to annoy, abuse, threaten or harass any
person. This is very important to know because with the current situation
the internet has become a platform for various activities including sexual
violence.”
Definition of sexual violence
“According to a local study conducted by Universiti Sains Malaysia Hospital,
they revealed that among the 439 cases of sexual violence presented to the
hospital, 61.3% of the perpetrators are someone known to the survivors,
26.3% are their own relatives and only 11.8% are strangers to the
survivors,” said Prof Sajaratulnisah.
She then
continued, “Love is not abuse, this need to be highlighted especially to the
young people. The impact of sexual violence is felt during the incidence and
immediately after. It can also last for a long time. The impact will not
only affect their physical health but also their mental health and the
person’s social life. They may struggle after the ordeal and support are
needed for survivors of sexual violence.”
Types of
support
offered by healthcare providers
Meanwhile, she also explained the services provided by OSCC
(One-Stop-Crisis-Centre) which is available at any public hospitals in
Malaysia for the abused victims. She also highlighted that aside from
medical examination and care provided by the healthcare provider, they also
provide medical forensic examination to bring the case to the legal platform
once they obtained consent from the survivors.
She said, “It is reminded to seek help if you are
somehow affected by sexual violence regardless of how small you perceive it
to be. You can also come to the health facility to get support because we
are trained to provide support.” She also shared how we can offer help to
the survivors, especially when someone discloses to us and how we can stop
sexual violence together.
Chong, on the other hand, shared some stories on how sexual violence can
be present among the LGBT community. She said, “Sexual assault cases happen
in the LGBT community as well. It could come from their own family and
outsiders. Most of the cases we handled came from an outsider, which is not
their family member and mostly is a non-LGBT person.
There are two reasons why rape cases happen between non-LGBT and LGBT. It is
either due to general purpose whereby they just want to rape or because the
rapist wants to correct the victims for becoming LGBT.
Of course, we do have other scenarios on sexual assault happening within the
same sex in our community. But, unfortunately, we do not have much data and
resources in helping them or to know what is happening.”
She then continued, “The trauma from LGBT person is actually much
serious. It is very important for them to get support, especially from their
family members. But most of the cases that we see are in the closet, their
family does not know their sexual orientation or their gender identity.
So they do not have a support system.
There were cases of forced marriages. People may wonder
if forced marriage is a kind of sexual violence and yes it is. It happens
mostly when their family members find out that they are interested in a
same-sex relationship and they were forced to marry someone else without
their consent.”
She then shared some real-life cases that she has been following up on
the sexual violence against the LGBT community and her experience in
accessing justice for them. She said, “Based on my experience in accessing
justice, I think it is very important to have some training and engagement
with the authority especially in the rural areas. This is to form some sort
of common understanding on how we can handle cases for the LGBT community
better.”
Dr Lim explaining what happens to our brain during a traumatic event
Last but
not least, while explaining what happens to our brain during a traumatic event, Dr
Lim said, “When our body senses danger, our reptilian brain and the limbic
brain will take over for our survival. So sometimes victims feel that they
have a lot of self-blame like ‘why did I not respond to the perpetrator’,
‘why did I allow him to do this to me’, ‘I should have said no, we were
taught to say no, why did I not push him away’. But, it is not the victim’s
fault because this is how our body reacts when we respond to danger. But a
lot of victims carry this guilt and this feeling with them which will worsen
their mental health. So if someone is exposed to high level or continuous
exposure to stress, then their amygdala will be in an alert state, it will
result in what we call hypervigilance.” She then explained the reactions to
trauma which was divided into physical reaction, psychological reaction and
behaviour. She also shared some
true stories that happened to her patients, how it impacted them and why
some women remained silent. “
“During the past year, our NGO has received a lot of calls for domestic
violence. Why is that so? The stay home, stay safe strategy that is supposed
to protect us from the Covid-19 virus can actually create physical, economic
and also mental stress amongst couples due to limited access to various
economic and social resources,” said Dr Lim.
She then continued, “All these sexual assaults can lead to mental
disorder because of the mental health distress that we are facing and the
common one is the Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). The others include
major depressive disorder, anxiety disorder and substance abuse problems.”
She concluded her sharing session by explaining the types of treatments
available for the victims which can help them in the recovery process and in
empowering the survivors.
The PTSD
The
social
activists sharing session ended with an interactive Q&A session.
A group
photo session with the speakers of social activists sharing session
Speaking
at the closing ceremony, Vice Project Manager Gan Swee Ying said, “On behalf
of 'Voices with Hope' organising team, I would like to take this opportunity
to thank our esteemed panellists, moderator and speakers who have given us
some insight and imparted their knowledge pertaining to sexual violence to
all the participants. I would also like to thank our campaign ambassador,
partners, PWW, UTAR SRC Sungai Long Campus and the generous sponsors who
have joined us in our journey and become part of the movement. Thank you to
all the supporters who were with us from the beginning. Not to forget, thank
you to all the organising committee who worked together hand-in-hand to make
this campaign a success.”
She then
continued, “Although the campaign has come to an end, no doubt this is just
the beginning to voice hope for the sexual violence victims and stand up
against sexual violence. Believe it or not, through our small actions we can
have a greater impact in preventing these cases from happening again. In
order for the goals to be achieved, all of us are playing an important role
not only the government or the private sectors, but also people like you and
me. In the words of the late Mother Teresa, ‘Not all of us can do great
things, but we can do small things with great love’.”
(Photo was taken from
“Voices with Hope” Facebook page)
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