SHE has achieved many milestones for women’s rights in the past 60 years, but Datuk Rasammah Bhupalan is all too well
aware of the work that is still not done, especially among underprivileged groups.
“We
have come a long way. But how do we gauge the empowerment of women when
we have only touched upper and middle-income women. What about the
lower-income group? What have we brought to them?” said Rasammah, 86,
who co-founded the National Council of Women’s Organisations (NCWO) 50
years ago.
NCWO is the
umbrella organisation, with 125 affiliates, working to raise women’s
status in Malaysia. There is just no resting on the laurels for
Rasammah, or for the other two women activists at NCWO’s Breakfast with
Mentors session recently, held in conjuction with the organisation’s
Golden Jubilee celebrations.
Rasammah,
NCWO vice president Datuk
Ramani Gurusamy, 72, and
All Women’s Action Society (AWAM) president Ho Yock Lin, 58, are all
veterans in Malaysia’s feminist movement, and they have worked hard to
raise the standard of Malaysian women’s lives – from advocating for
equal pay to amending legislation on rape, violence against women and
custody rights, to creating awareness of breast cancer.
“In
the 1960s, the fights were for bread and butter issues, like equal pay.
Then, women became temporary teachers when they got married. They were
also not eligible for pension,” recalled Ramani.
Fighting
for equal pay for women teachers was “the first real struggle for women
in Malaya”, said Rasammah who founded and headed the first Women
Teachers Union in 1960. It was only in 1972 that women teachers finally
received the same pay as their male peers.
Over
the decades, women activists have lobbied to put women’s rights at the
forefront of government policies, beginning with the establishment of
the Women’s Advisory Council in 1976 to maximise women’s participation
in Malaysia’s development.
In
1983, the Secretariat for Women’s Affairs, Hawa, was set up under the
Prime Minister’s Department ensure women have equal opportunities, and a
National Policy on Women was adopted in 1989. They paved the way for
the setting up of the Women’s Ministry in 2001; it was the culmination
of many decades of advocating for women’s issues to be integrated into
all public policies. These milestones in the women’s movement were
documented in NCWO 50 Years Remembered, a book to commemorate NCWO’s 50th Anniversary (pic).
One
of the most important tasks undertaken by activists was in changing
legislations that were discriminatory towards women. In 1985, NCWO
brought together women’s organisations and identified laws that
discriminated against women.
“Amending
legislation is a long-drawn process. We worked on reforming laws
on rape and domestic violence, custody and guardianship of children,
inheritence and property rights. We also lobbied for maternity leave to
be extended from 42 days to 60 days, and to 90 days in 2010,” recalled
Ramani.
She recounted how
women activists networked with their Canadian counterparts to change
how rape cases were handled in the 1980s. “We helped set up the first
One-Stop Rape Crisis Centre in Hospital Kuala Lumpur in1994, and put
together a rape investigation kit. I remember we went to see the
Inspector General of Police Tun Hanif Omar to lobby for the setting up
of a special unit of women police officers to investigate rape cases,
and it was set up in 1986,” said Ramani, who also cited amendments to
the Domestic Violence Act which came into effect in 1996 as another
important achievement.
Although
much
has been done in the past 50 years, the three women activists
emphasised that so much more needs to be done. Rasammah pointed out
there is still not enough women representation in Parliament, or debates
focused on women.
“We
must not be afraid to fight for change. I grew up questioning
institutions and justices, and learnt about women’s rights in the UK
where I was studying. I remembered reading about the women’s teachers
union activism at that time (1960s),” recalled Ho, who cited how they
fought for the age limit for statutuory rape to be raised from below 14
to 16.
At 58, Ho joked
that she was the “youngest” at the panel, but the three women activists
certainly presented an energetic session to their young audience.
Rasammah is feisty and unwavering in her commitment to the women’s
cause,
and Ramani spoke
of how she continues to be motivated to work for marginalised women.
Most
importantly, they said there is no standing on the sidelines. “We need
young, fresh blood in the women’s movement. We need your excitement,
your passion and your commitment. So, prepare yourself to get into the
movement. Get the leadership skills you need, and you probably already
have them. Get into an organisation. Now, with the Internet, you can see
what an organisation is all about. See what are the issues that
interest you and get involved. We need you,” said Ramani.
Rasammah
said it’s essential to be active in an organisation, even if it’s only
for two hours a week, or even a fortnight. They also need men to be
involved in the women’s cause, said Ho who cited the success of NCWO’s
MenCare campaign which engaged
men to encourage
women to screen for breast cancer.
For more information on NCWO and for enquiries on its 50th Anniversary book, visit ncwomalaysia.org.my.
