Early Sunday morning I was at Padang Merbok. It was the first time I was there as somehow I never quite arrived there before. I have been to the Royal Lake Gardens and the Tugu Peringatan for as long as I can remember, but somehow I missed out on Padang Merbok. But I finally got there on early Sunday morning...
You see, I was there to participate in the White Ribbon Run after being coaxed into joining by Evelyn aka Missyblurkit, my blogger pal...Eve is a hard core runner and my stamina is nowhere close to hers, as I found out... hahahah
Anyway the White Ribbon Run was held to successfully emphasised that Gender-Based Violence (GBV) and Violence Against Women (VAW) are not solely women's rights issues, but rather human rights issues and we should all involve ourselves in addressing it..
A recent statistic on Violence against Women in Malaysia released by the Royal Malaysian Police in 2014 shows that there were 2349 cases of rape and 4807 cases of domestic violence reported nationwide. An estimated 8 out of 10 cases go unreported.
Women face all sorts of violence and discrimination in public and private spaces and in some ways, I was one of those statistics....
And then what about cases such as the statutory rape case in Sabah where a 40 year old man impregnated his colleague's 14 year old daughter and was still found not guilty event hough the DNA proved his paternity. A woman was even charged in court for termination of pregnancy despite it being permissible under the Panel Code. Transgender woman are continuously facing all forms of persecution and even the recent spate of moral policing that happened a few months ago where women were not allowed to access services on the basis of what they were wearing...
And then what about cases such as the statutory rape case in Sabah where a 40 year old man impregnated his colleague's 14 year old daughter and was still found not guilty event hough the DNA proved his paternity. A woman was even charged in court for termination of pregnancy despite it being permissible under the Panel Code. Transgender woman are continuously facing all forms of persecution and even the recent spate of moral policing that happened a few months ago where women were not allowed to access services on the basis of what they were wearing...
Violence against women and girls are detrimental to our society and the White Ribbon Campaign gives an opportunity for men to to speak out and take a stand against violence. We should all work together to put an end to this....
At Padang Merbok, men and boys from all walks of life made their pledges never to commit , condone or remain silent about violence against women and girls.
After the run, activities such as breaking the "Chain of Violence" , a flash mob and the White Campaign Quiz were carried out. There was also a Lucky Draw, sponsored by Star Cruises, in which two amazing 4 days 3 nights trip aboard the Superstar Gemini were given away as the top two prizes...as well as amazing prizes from Palace of the Golden Horses, Trikke Sdn Bhd, Summersault, Sunway Lagoon, Acca Kappa, Pestle and Mortar Clothing, Body Shop, Caring Pharmacy and others....
AWAM together with their supporters are determined to continue to champion women's rights and bring an end to violence against women and girls. Through the White Ribbon Campaign , AWAM hopes to generate awareness and provide a platform where men can break their silence and end the violence....
For more info, follow www.facebook.com/AWAMMalaysia
a very healthy event!!
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