1

ColetteJohnson Dr.BettinaShellDuncan Anthropology399 June2,2010

CombatingDomesticViolenceinMalaysia: EvaluatingtheEffectivenessofLegalApproachesThroughtheLensofIntersectionality

Abstract DespitetheenactmentoftheDomesticViolenceActin1994,theconceptof domesticviolenceandtheenforcementofdomesticviolencelegislationisstillanareaof contestationanddebateinMalaysia.Whileinternationalhumanrightsbased organizationssuchastheWomensAidOrganization(WAO)worktowardsproviding servicestovictimsofdomesticviolenceandlobbyforlegalreformtoimprovethe positionofwomeninMalaysia,manywomenremaininphysicallyabusiverelationships withoutseekinglegalmeansofredressagainsttheirperpetrators.Infact,ithasbeen estimatedthatwhile39%ofMalaysianwomenarephysicallyabusedbytheirpartners, only0.05%ofthesewomenmakereportsofthisabusetothepolice.Thisproposal advocatesfortheuseofafeministintersectionalapproachinthestudyofdomestic violencelaw.Byfocusingonsocialpositionsandthecomplexintersectionsofidentity experiencedbyMalaysianwomen,activistsandgovernmentscangaininsightintowhy somewomenaremorelikelytofilepolicereportsthanothers.Thisinsightisintegralto effectivelycombatingdomesticviolence,sincegovernmentinitiativesonviolenceare basedlargelyontheunderrepresentativestatisticsreportedbytheRoyalMalaysian Police.Furthermore,evaluatinghowintersectionsofvarioussocialpositionsculminate inbarrierstolegalredressbegsthequestion:howeffectivearepolicereportsandcurrent domesticviolencelawincombatingviolencewomeninMalaysia?Answeringthis questionwillallowtheWAOandotherparticipantsinthewomensrightsmovementto betterunderstandandimproveoneffortstocombatviolenceagainstwomen,both locallyandworldwide. Introduction Domesticviolenceortheabuseofindividuals(primarilywomen)inthe domesticsphereisconsideredawidespreadissueofconcerninlocal,national,and internationalcontextsbecauseoftheillsitinflictsuponindividuals,families,and communities.Itiscitedtohaveadversehealthaffectsintheformofphysicalillhealth, sexualandreproductiveproblems,andpsychologicalandbehavioralproblems. Socioeconomicimpactsincludelosteconomicproductivity,increasedsocialserviceuse andemotionalandbehavioralproblemsamongstchildrenlivinginhouseholdswhere domesticviolenceoccurs(WHO2006). TheWomensAidOrganisation(WAO)isaninternationallyrecognizednon governmentalorganization(NGO)withthespecificaimofeliminatingviolenceagainst

2
womeninMalaysia.TheWAOconductedthelargestandonlynationallyrepresentative surveyontheprevalenceofdomesticviolenceinMalaysiain1990,whichconcludedthat 39%ofallwomenovertheageof15wereestimatedtohavebeenbeatenbytheir husbandorboyfriend.Furtheranalysisrevealed99.95%ofthesecaseshadnotbeen reportedtothepolice(Abdullah1995;WHO2006).Clearly,domesticviolencecanbe consideredanissueofepidemicproportionsinMalaysia.However,nonationally representativesampleofMalaysianwomenhasbeendoneinthepast20yearsandthe onlydefinitivedatathatcurrentlyexistsonnumbersofwomenwhoexperience domesticviolencecomefromtheRoyalMalaysianPoliceincidentreportstatisticsand intakereportsofagenciessuchastheWAO.Thisisproblematicsincedomesticviolence issohighlyunderreportedandlittledefinitiveworkhasbeendonetodiscoverthe natureoftheseinvisiblestatistics.TheWHOthereforeconcludesthatsomeefforts [must]bedirectedtoenhancethequalityofviolencedataandinformationcollectionin thiscountryanddevelopamorecoherentandbetterintegratedsetofdataon interpersonalviolence(WHO2006). Whilerestrictionsoftime,languageandaccesstoresourcesprohibitmyability distributeanationallyrepresentativesurveyofsuchtheWAOsproportions,Iaimto contributetoaqualitativeexplorationofpossiblebarriersthatexisttowomenfiling policereportsincasesofphysicalabuse.Thiswillallowsomeofthewomenwhochoose nottomakeareporttobecomelessinvisible.Ialsoaimtoexplorewhetherornotlegal meansofredressareconsideredbyMalaysianwomenfromvariousbackgroundstobea valuableformofattendingtotheissueofdomesticabuse.Withoutdataofthisnature, governmentandNGOinitiativestargetingwomenwhohaveexperienceddomestic abusemaycontinuetobypasstheexperiencesofwomenwhodonotfilepolicereports orseekothermeansoflegalaid. SpecificAims Thebroadlongtermobjectiveofthisresearchistoimprovetheefficiencyofthe movementtocombatviolenceagainstwomen,specificallyinMalaysiabutalso worldwide.FurtherresearchinMalaysiashouldcovertheconcretecausesofdomestic violencespecifictothiscountryaswellashowthecausescanbereduced,eliminated,or removedfromtheprocessofinducingabusiveoutbreaks.Iwillfocusonexploringthe reasonsthatwomenhaveforreportingornotreportingacaseofdomesticviolenceto thepolicesothattheinvisiblepopulationsofwomenwhodonotmakepolicereports maybebetterseen,understood,andtargetedbyviolencereductioninitiatives.Inorder togainamorecompleteandholisticunderstandingofthecontextualizationofwomens individualdecisionsnottoreport,Iwillusethelensofintersectionality. Thespecificaimsofmyresearchareasfollows: 1.IdentifythecomplexintersectingidentitiesofwomenwhogototheWAOforhelp. 2.Determinewhichcomplexidentitiesofwomentendtoeitherinhibitorencouragethe filingofapolicereportandwhy. 3.Determinewhetherornotwomenwhofilereportsfindthemusefuloreffective.

Bydoinganindepthqualitativestudythatfocusesonbarriersthatwomenface tofilingpolicereports,IwillbeabletoprovidetheWAOandotherMalaysianor regionallysimilarwomensrightsorganizationswithabetterunderstandingofboththe benefitsandlimitationsofcurrentlegalapproachesandservices,providingroomfor improvementormodificationifnecessary. LiteratureReview InternationalWomensRights Womensissuesfirstbeganreceivinghigherpriorityontheinternationalagenda inthe1970sand1980swhentheUNGeneralAssemblypromotedtheInternational DecadeforWomen.In1981,aconventionforgoverningviolenceagainstwomenwas adopted,calledtheConventionontheEliminationofAllFormsofViolenceAgainst Women(CEDAW).Itarticulatedprinciplesofgenderequalityandstateresponsibility andcurrentCEDAWhearingsexplainhowtheseinternationallawsapplytocountries underscrutiny.In1993,theViennaConferenceonHumanRightsledtheGeneral AssemblytoadoptaDeclarationontheEliminationofViolenceAgainstWomen (ViennaDeclaration),whichcalledmemberstatestoeliminateallformsofviolenceand discriminationagainstwomenwithoutregardtodifferentiationsinthepublic/private sphere.ThisdeclarationalsoledtotheappointmentofaUNSpecialRapporteuron ViolenceAgainstWomen.Furtherinfluentialinternationaldeclarationsforwomens rightsincludetheBeijingDeclarationandPlatformforActionof1995andtheBeijing PlusFivereviewof2000(Amirthalingam2003;Merry2006). Thehumanrightsframeworkisadistinctivemodernistvisionofthegoodand justsocietythatemphasizesautonomy,equality,secularityanduniversality(Merry 2006p.220).Itenvisionsthestateasresponsibleforguaranteeingtheseconditionsoflife andtheindividualasresponsibleformakingclaims.Inthefieldofviolenceagainst women,therightsframeworkchallengestheideathatgenderviolenceisnormaland natural.Whilehumanrightsideasareoftenrepackagedinculturallyresonant wrappingsinordertofitbetterwithlocalcontexts,thehumanrightscoreremainsa strongchallengetocustomarygendernorms(Merry2006). Accordingtotheproponentsofinternationalwomensrights,womencanonlybe empowerediftheyareinpossessionofthefundamentallibertiesandfreedomsthatare inalienableandaccordedtothembyvirtueoftheirdignityandvalueashumans. However,therecontinuestobesystemicdiscriminationinMalaysiaintheformof genderbasedviolence,practicedagainstwomeninbothpublicandprivatespheresby stateandnonstateactors.Thereisadiscrepancybetweentherhetoricofwomensrights aimsandtheactualrealityofwomensrightsasexperiencedatthegrassroots(Bong 2008).Asstatedinthe1995BeijingPlatformforAction,womensrealizationofrightsare sometimescurtailedbytheirrace,age,language,ethnicity,culture,religion,or disability,orbecausetheyareindigenouspeople(UnitedNations2006,p.10).Assuch, someindividualsandgroupsofwomenaredeniedactualsubstantivegenderequality.

TheWomensAidOrganisation TheWAOisanongovernmentalorganization(NGO)foundedin1981that lobbiesforreformandthecriminalizationofdomesticviolence.Itprovidessocial services,publiceducation,andadministerssurveyresearchallofwhichareinitiatives consideredtobepartoftheglobalresponsetodomesticviolencebyfeministand internationalhumanrightsstandards(Merry2006).TheWAOclaimsitsspecificaimin advocacyworkastheimplementationofCEDAWinMalaysia(Abdullah2007).The WAOvisionisforasocietythatupholdstheprinciplesofsubstantiveequalitywhere allwomenenjoytheirhumanrightsineverysphereandtheirmissionistopromote andcreatetherespect,protectionandfulfillmentofequalrightsforwomen,inparticular theeliminationofviolenceagainstwomen(WAO2007,p.4). NGOssuchastheWAOareexpectedtorecognizethecontestedandshifting natureofculture.Theynavigatethedividebetweenthelocalandtheglobal,translating globalapproachesintolocaltermsandseekingtogivelocalgroupsvoiceinglobal settings(Merry2006p.104).OrganizationssuchastheWAOappropriateglobal humanrightsframeworks,transplantinginstitutionsandprogramsintolocalsettings. However,avarietyofdifficultiesarisethroughtheconflictsbetweentheglobal internationalhumanrightsdiscourseandlocalcontextualities. TheWAOsannualstatisticalreportfor2007indicatesthat100womenusedthe shelter,75womenusedfacetofacecounseling,and1200womenusedtelephone counselingthatyear.TheWAOmaintainscomprehensivestatisticaldataonreasonsfor seekingshelter,lengthofstay,wherewomenheardabouttheorganization,residence, age,nationality,ethnicity,maritalstatus,educationlevel,occupation,andincomelevel. Thereisalsodataontypesofabuse,lengthoftimeinabusivesituations,relationship withabuser,characteristicsoftheabuser,frequencyofabuse,triggeringfactorsfor abuseandtriggeringfactorsthatcausedwomentoleave(WAO2007). DomesticViolenceinMalaysia Domesticviolenceisdefinedasbatteringinthedomesticsphere,orrepeatedand habitualphysicalandmentalabuse(Abdullah2007).Themaincomprehensivesource fordataondomesticviolencecomesfromtheRoyalMalaysianPoliceforce.Police statisticsprovideinformationonvictimandperpetratorcharacteristics,relationships, locationsandcauses.Thesestatisticsarethemostwidelyusedbyagenciesforviolence preventionactivities.However,casesthatnotreportedtothepolicearenotcaptured. Sincenotreportingisacommonphenomenonespeciallyinthecaseofinterpersonal violence,thetrueextentofdomesticviolenceislikelylargelyunderestimatedbycurrent nationalstatistics.Furthermore,existingnationaldatafocusesondomesticviolencein traditionalfamilysettings,includingamongstchildrenandtheelderly,butdoesnot includeviolencethatoccursbetweenpartnersoutsideofmarriage.Dataofthisnatureis consequentlyunknown(WHO2006).ThemostrecentlyavailablestatisticsoftheRoyal MalaysianPoliceforceindicatethatin2007,therewere3756totalcasesofdomestic violencereported.However,only62cases(1.6%)resultedinformalcharges(WAO

5
2007).TheWHOclaimsthattheunderreportingproblemandtheinvisibilityof domesticviolenceasasocialproblemismainlyduetostigmatizationandthebeliefin thesanctityandtheprivacyofthefamilyandtheintimacyofthemaritalrelationship (WHO2006,p.35). Thelargestcommunitysurveyeverconductedtodeterminetheactualnational prevalenceofdomesticviolencewasdonebytheWAOin1990,involving1221 respondents.Thissurveydeterminedthatapproximately39%ofMalaysianwomenover theageof15hadbeenbatteredbytheirhusbandorboyfriendinthepreviousyear,yeta startling99.95%ofthesecaseshadnotresultedinapolicereport.Nosurveythis comprehensivehasbeenconductedsince.TheWHOcurrentlyadvocatesforthe productionofmorenationallyrepresentativesurveyssincetheseprovidean opportunitytomeasuretheactualextentofviolencebyaccessingwomenwhowould otherwisenotreporttheircasetothepolice(WHO2006). DomesticViolenceLaw InMalaysia,familylawmatterssuchasdomesticviolencearegovernedbya combinationofCivil,Syariah(Islamic),andAdat(customary)laws.Actsofviolence againstbothMuslimandnonMuslimsarepunishableinMalaysiaviathePenalCode, whichsubjectsoffencessuchasrapeorvoluntarilygrievoushurttocriminalaction.The DomesticViolenceAct(DVA),enactedin1994,isattachedtothePenalCodeand providesprotectionforallvictimsofviolenceinadomesticsettingincludingspouses, formerspouses,children,incapacitatedadults,andotherfamilymemberspending investigationbytheRoyalMalaysianPoliceorduringcriminalproceedingsincourt.The lawprovidesthepossibilityofbatteredfamilymemberstofileforinterimprotective orders(IPOs)againstthebatterer.Thisorderprohibitstheallegedbattererfrom inflictinganyfurtherdomesticviolenceduringtheinvestigationofaviolentoffenceor duringthecourseofanyproceedingsbeforegoingtocourt(CEDAW2004;Malaysia 1994;Abdullah1995).MuslimwomenmayalsoapplytotheSyariahCourtfora restrainingorderoradivorceongroundsofcrueltreatmentbythehusband. Intersectionality Thetermintersectionalitywascoinedin1989byKimberleCrenshaw,whoused thetermtodiscussissuesofblackwomensemploymentintheUnitedStates.Theidea hassincebeenemployedinfeministworkonhowwomenarepositionedintermsof theirgenderedstatus,aswellasalonglinesofethnicity,class,sexualorientation, colonialsubjectivity,etc.Intersectionalityaimstomakevisiblethemultiplepositions occupiedbyindividuals,revealingthepositionsthatconstituteeverydaylifeandthe powerrelationscentraltoit.Theacknowledgmentofmultipleinteractingcategoriesisa richandmorecomplexapproachthanthosethatattempttoreducepeopleintoone categoryoranother.TheU.S.basedapproachofsystemicintersectionalityconsiders structuralpowerdynamicsthatplacethehumansubjectinsystemsofdominationand marginalization,whereasU.K.basedconstructionistintersectionalityconsidersthe waysinwhichpeoplechoosetoidentifythemselves(PhoenixandPattynama2006).

6
NiraYuvalDavis(2006)claimsthatsocialdivisionsarebothconstructedbyand intertwinedwithhistoricalconditions,withspecifichistoricalsituationsfrequently placingsomesocialdivisionsasmoreimportantthanothersinconstructing intersectionalpositionality,thoughallthesedivisionsdoultimatelyinteracttocreate uniquecircumstances.Consequently,politicaldialoguesusingtheintersectional approachshouldbeledbythosewhoseneedsarejudgedtobethemosturgent. Theintersectionalideologyisplacedinthecontextoftheinternationalwomens movementandthedevelopmentinitiativesthatfirstgainedmomentuminthe1970s withtheUnitedNationsDecadeforWomen.Thiswaswhenthecurrenthegemonic frameworkforWomeninDevelopment(WID)wasdeveloped.WID,however,hasbeen criticizedbyThirdWorldandpostcolonialfeministsforassuminghomogeneity amongstfemalesubjectsandauniversalityofallwomensneeds,nottakinginto accounttheoftentimesconflictingneedsofdifferentwomeninaracialorpostcolonial context.Inresponsetothiscriticism,intersectionalityaimsforamorecomplex, contextualandnuancedapproachtoviewinggenderissuesbytakingintoaccountthe varyingcomplexidentitiesandissuesthatwomenfacealongsidetheirgenderedstatus (Beneria&Sen1981;Kabeer1994). Intersectionalityhasfurthermorebecomeincreasinglyrecognizedinternationally asanimportantaspectforstudyinwomenanddevelopment.Atthe58thsessionofthe UNCommissiononHumanRightsin2002theresolutiononthehumanrightsofwomen statedinitsfirstparagraphthatitrecognizedtheimportanceofexaminingthe intersectionofmultipleformsofdiscrimination,includingtheirrootcausesfroma genderperspective(ResolutionE,quotedbyNiraYuvalDavis). Intersectionalityisaparticularlyusefulapproachforviewingthepositionof womeninMalaysiasincethishighlysegregated,multiethnic,andmultireligious societyputswomenfromvarioushistoricalpoliticalbackgroundsindifferentsystemsof oppressionandmarginalization.Eachoftheseidentitiesontheirown(gender,class, ethnicity,nationality,religion,maritalstatus,geographicallocation)cannotdetermine theentirerangeofissuesthatanindividualwomanfaces;allthesefactorsinteractand causewomentoreacttocircumstancesindifferentways. EthnicandreligiousfiguresinMalaysiaindicatethattheethniccompositionof Malaysiancitizens(23millionintotal,in2000)tobe:65percentMalay,26percent Chinese,and7percentIndian.Ethnicityishighlycorrelatedtoreligionand65percentof thepopulationareMuslim,19percentareBuddhist,9percentareChristian,6percent areHindu,and2percentaretraditionalChinesereligionssuchasTaoismand Confucianism,alongwithotherindigenousspiritualities(PopulationCensus2001). Consequently,itisinterestingtonotethatdespitethesignificantlylargerpopulationof MalaywomeninMalaysia,moreIndianandChinesewomenthanMalaywomenusethe WAOsservices(WAO2007).IsthisbecausebatteringhappensmoreofteninIndianand Chinesehouseholds?Orisitbecausedifferentculturalattitudestowardsbatterycause IndianandChinesewomentobemorereceptivetoseekinghelp?Ordothe geographicallocationsofthesewomenrenderthemmorelikelytointerceptmedia aimedatencouragingwomentoseekaidafterphysicalabuse?Ordothesewomentend tolackresourcesthatMalaywomengenerallyhavetodealwithbatteryinwaysother thanthroughtheNGOframework?Thesequestions,inotherwords,dealwithissuesof intersectionalidentities:ethnicityandcustoms,geographicallocation,andaccessto

7
resources(orclass). Thisalsoappearsrelevantinconsiderationofinternationalstudiesthatindicate thathowacommunityperceivespartnerviolencefrequentlyaffectsthemagnitudeof abuse.Communitiesthatprohibitpartnerviolencethroughlegalmeansorintheformof moralpressureforinterventionbyneighborsarereportedtohavepositiveinfluencesin combatingpartnerviolence.Availabilityofhelpintheformofshelterandfamily supportissimilarlyinfluential(WHO2006).Therefore,ifaMalaysianwomanfinds herselfidentifyingasamemberofaparticularcommunitythatprohibitsratherthan sanctionsdomesticviolence,shemayeitherexperiencelessphysicalabuseormay choosetoseeksupport(eitherthroughthecommunityorthroughlegalmeans)to decreasetheincidenceofabuse.Ontheotherhand,thereversemayalsobetrueand membershiptosomecommunitiesmayinsteadincreaseincidencesofdomesticviolence. ResearchQuestions 1.Inwhatway,ifatall,doesthelocalpracticeofwomensrightsinaMalaysian contexttakeintersectionalidentitiesintoaccount,particularlyregardingindividual womensdecisionsonwhetherornottoreportcasesofdomesticviolencetothepolice? 2.Arepolicereportsandcurrentlawsondomesticviolenceaneffectivemeansof combatingviolenceagainstallwomeninMalaysia? Methods StudyDesign IplantouseamultimethodapproachtostudyhowtheWAOstaffmembers andrelevantindividualsanswermyresearchquestions,gatheringdatathrough participantobservation,observationandindividualsemistructuredinterviews.My analysiswillfocusonpredeterminedthemesasgovernedbymyresearchquestions, thoughIwillalsouseextensivegroundedtheoryandcodingtoinductivelydiscover otherrelevantconcepts.IhopetogainaccesstotheWAOsrawdemographicinorderto explorestatisticalcorrelationsbetweenidentitymarkersandservicesused. Subjects Duetoissuesofaccessandethics,Idonotplantointerviewbatteredwomenon theirintersectionalidentitiesortheirattitudestowardspolicereports.Instead,Iwill focusonstaffmembersattheWAOandtheircontacts.Ialsohopetointerviewatleast onememberoftheRoyalMalaysianPolice. Procedures Participantobservationwillbeprocedurallyfairlystraightforwardasitwill consistofroutinelyshowingupforworkatmyinternship40hoursaweekattheWAO

8
officeinSelangor.Forallsemistructuredinterviews,Iwillarrangebyemail,telephone orverbalexchangeaspecificmeetingtimeafterworkinghoursinarelativelyprivate caforlibrary.Iexpectinterviewstotake30minutesto1hourinlength.Iwillaskthe intervieweeifitisacceptabletoaudiorecordtheinterviewwithadigitalrecorderand takesimultaneoushandwrittennotesinanotebook.Myinterviewswillbesemi structuredandbasedontheinterviewguideprovidedinAppendixA.Thebenefitofthe semistructuredformatisthatitensuresthateachofmyquestionswillbecoveredby eachinterviewsubject,yetthereisspaceforflexiblemaneuvering,allowingthe intervieweetoexertsomecontrolovertheinterviewandtalkaboutwhattheyfind interestingandrelevant(Bernard2006). SamplingTechnique Duetothesmallscaleandintensivecasestudynatureofthisproject,my samplingtechniqueswillbeprimarilypurposiveandsnowballsampling.Iaimto conductatleast20semistructuredinterviewsintotalandIwillusepurposivesampling toselectkeyinformantsthatfulfillpredeterminedfunctions(Bernard2006).Iwishto conductinterviewsamongstlongtimestaffmemberswhoarewellversedinthe organizationsfunctions,historyandtheoreticalframeworkandfulfilleachofthe variousfunctionswithintheWAO:administration,research,telephonecounseling,face tofacecounseling,legalcounseling,lobbying,outreach,workshops,andchildcare (WAO2007). Iwillthenusesnowballsamplingtoallowpreviousintervieweestodirectmeto otherknowledgeablestaffmembers,membersofotherorganizations,andhopefullya memberoftheRoyalMalaysianPoliceforce.Thesnowballtechniqueconsistsoffind relevantinformantsbasedontherecommendationsofpreviousinformantsandis consideredaneffectivewaytobuildanexhaustivesamplingframeinsmall populations(Bernard2006,193).Itisalsousefulforfindinginformantswhomight otherwisebeuninterestedinmyresearch. DataManagement Mydatawillbemanagedinthreeseparatecomputer(MicrosoftWord)journals: methodologicalnotes;descriptive/observationalnotes;andanalyticalnotes(Bernard 2006).Audiorecordingsfrommydigitalrecorderwillbeuploadedontomycomputer aftereachinterviewandIwillthenuseInqScribetoassistintheprocessofwordfor wordtranscriptionintothedescriptivejournal.Iwillalsotypemyhandwrittennotes fromtheinterviewtocomparewhatwassaidwithwhatIfeltwasimportantduringthe interviewprocess.Allthisinformationwillbesavedinaspecificfolderonmycomputer andbackedupontoanexternalharddriveeveryweek. AnalyticalMethods Qualitativedataintheformofinterviewsandparticipantobservationfieldnotes willbeanalyzedaccordingtogroundedtheory,asdevelopedbyGlaserandStrauss

9
(1967),StraussandCorbin(1990)anditeratedbyBernard(2006).Iwillproduce transcriptsoftheinterviewsandreadthroughsamplesofthetext,identifyingpotential analyticalcategories/themes.ThenIwillpullallthedatafromthosecategoriesfor comparisonandthinkabouthowthosecategoriesarelinkedwithoneanother.Finally,I willuserelationsamongstcategoriestobuildtheoreticalmodelsandpresenttheresults ofmyanalysisusingexemplarsorquotesfrominterviewsthatillustratetheresulting theory(Bernard2006,p.492). MycodeswillbeselfdevelopedtopicalcodesthatIwilladdatthetopofeach journalentry,withthe#signplusawordthatsignifiesthecode.Iwillusesomeopen codinginordertogainamoreholisticsenseofkeyconcepts,butIwillalsofollowthe intermediateinductive/deductivemethodologyofWillemsetal.(1990)andMilesand Huberman(1994)asdescribedbyBernard(2006).Mygeneralthemeswillatfirstbe derivedfrommyliteraturereviewandquestionsfocusingongender,ethnicity, religion,class,geographicallocation,feminism,humanrights,domesticviolencelaw, prevalenceandpolicereports.However,Iwillbeopentoandproactiveinaddingmore themesandsubthemesasIgoalonginthedataanalysisprocess.Thisapproachis similartothatofSharonBong,awomensrightsactivistwhogenerateddatawithin depth,semistructuredinterviewswithotheractivists,usingpreviouslyestablished themesaswellasgroundedtheorytodevelopaprimarilyinductivetheoryonfaith rightsbasedactivisminMalaysia(Bong2008). IftheWAOallowsmetoaccessrawstatisticaldataonclientdemographicprofiles, IwillenteritintoanExcelspreadsheetprofilematrix,providingtablesofcasesandtheir associatevariables(Bernard2006).Then,uponreturningtotheUnitedStates,Iwilluse theSPSSStatisticalAnalysisProgramtorunexperimentalanalysesonwhetherpossible correlationsexistbetweenidentitycategoriesandtypesofhelpsought(legal,shelter, counseling)throughtheWAO.Finally,Iwillcomparetheresultsofthisquantitative datawiththequalitativedatagleanedfromtheinterviewprocess. Timeline JuneAugust2010: Iwillusethistimetocontinuegatheringdocumentsandarticlesrelevanttothe literaturereviewaspectofmyresearch.IwillalsoprepareformystayinMalaysiaby workingoutbudgetissues,findingaplacetoliveforthecourseoftheinternship, readingtravelerstipsandteachingmyselfbasicconversationalMalay. SeptemberDecember2010: ThisisthetimeframeformyinternshipwiththeWAOandwhenIwillbedoingallmy datacollection.ThefirsttwoweeksIwillspenddevelopingrapportthroughparticipant observation.AfterIfeelthatIhaveestablishedsufficientrapportandfoundinformantsI willbeginconductingsemistructuredinterviewswithstaffmembersandotherrelevant individuals.Iwillbeperformingconcurrentanalysesduringthecourseofdata collection.BythetenthweekIwillhavewrappedupthemajorityofmydatacollection, thoughIwillalsoprocurecontactinformationfromstaffmembersincaseIwishto contactthemwithmorequestionsbyphoneoremail.

10
JanuaryMarch2011: DuringthistimeIwillbeginwritingmymethodssectionaswellasdoinganyfurther relevantdocumentaryresearchtocomplementmyfindings.BytheendoftheMarchI shouldhavecompletedthemajorityofmyanalysis. AprilJune2011: Iwillspendthelastthreemonthsworkingonthewrittencomponentofmythesis.

Ethics InordertoguaranteefullyinformedconsentIwillverballyexplaintoevery personwithwhomIinterview,orhaveextendedinteractions,whoIamandthebasic purposeofmyresearchstudy:aseniorthesisondomesticviolencelawinMalaysia withmoredetailswhenasked.Iwillimmediatelycontacttheheadoftheorganization uponarrivalinMalaysiatoexplainmyresearchgoalsandmethods,thoughIwillnot providemyexactresearchquestionssincethiscouldskewtheaccuracyofmydata. Iwillaskfortheverbalconsentofinterviewee(s)toaudiorecordthemanduse theirwordsandopinionsinmythesis.Iwillprovideanyinterestedpartiesawritten consentformandawrittencopyoftheirinterviewtranscriptiftheyrequestit.Ifparties wishtomakechangestothetranscript,Iwilldiscussitwiththem.Iwillguarantee subjectanonymitythroughtheuseofcodenames(StaffMemberAorPoliceOfficer Q)inbothmyfieldnotesandinthefinalreport.Participantswillbeinformedthatthey havenoobligationtobeapartofmyresearchstudy,thattheycanoptoutof participationatanytime,andanyinformationcanberetractedorremovedfrommy notesorfinalreport.Allinformationprovidedinconfidencewillremaininconfidence. Iaimtoremainmindfulofpotentialadverseeffectsmyanalysiscouldhaveon mysubjectparticipants.WhileIwillnotcompensateWAOstaffmembersbymonetary means,Itrustthatmycontributionasanunpaidinternintheorganizationwillbe sufficient.However,ifIaminneedofatranslator,Imayoffercompensationforservices intheformofasmallsum,amealoraculturallyappropriategift.Finally,sincemy presencerepresentstheUniversityofWashingtonandthedisciplineofAnthropology,I willstrivetocomportmyselfinaprofessionalmanneratalltimes. Significance Essentiallynocurrentdataoracademicliteratureexistsonwhetherornot womenareinfluencedbytheirownpositionalityorsenseofbelongingwithina particularsocialclass/setofclasseswhendeterminingwhetherornottomakeapolice reportinacaseofdomesticviolence.Withoutanunderstandingoftheidentitypolitics associatedwiththedecisiontomakeornotmakeapolicereport,littleheadwaycanbe madeinunderstandingwhoandwhodoesnotmakethesereports.Womenwhochoose nottoreportcontinuetobeexcludedfromstatisticsondomesticviolenceand consequentlytheirissuescontinuetobeignoredbyinitiativesthatcombatviolence.

11
Furthermore,evaluationsontheactualeffectivenessofmakingpolicereports fromthestandpointofbatteredwomenacrosstheidentityspectrumarelacking.Itis altogetherpossiblethatwhilemakingpolicereportshelpssomewomen,itdoesnotfor others.Inordertounderstandwhichapproachestocombatingviolenceagainstwomen areusefultowomeningeneralandwhetherornotthemethodoffilingpolicereportsis usefulforunderreportedMalaysianwomeninspecific,wemustgainanunderstanding ofwhopolicereportshelpandwhotheydonot.Thegoalofthisresearchistoassist feministhumanrightsactivistsandgovernmentofficialswithansweringthequestion: arepolicereportsandcurrentlawsondomesticviolencethemosteffectivemeansof combatingviolenceagainstallwomeninMalaysia?Whatisworking,whatisnt,and whatcanbedonebetter? AppendixAInterviewGuidelines Section1:PerceivedchangestoprevalenceofDV 1.)DoyouthinktheprevalenceofdomesticviolenceinMalaysiahaschangedsincethe administrationoftheWAOs1990communitysurvey,whichindicatedthat36%of womenovertheageof15havebeenphysicallyabusedbytheirhusbandorboyfriend? 2.)DoyouthinkthepassingoftheDomesticViolenceActin1994hasimpactedthe frequencyofreports,thewillingnesstoreport,ortheoverallprevalenceofdomestic violenceinMalaysia? Section2:Barrierstoreporting 1.)Whyisdomesticviolencesoconsistentlyunderreportedtothepolice? 2.)Whatkindsofbarriersdoyouthinkexisttowomenmakingreports? 3.)Whichreasonsdoyouthinkwomentendtochoosewhendecidingwhethertoreport ornot? Section3:Relationshipswithintersectionality 1.)Doyouthinkawomansidentity,definedintermsofherethnicity,class, geographicallocation,maritalstatus,andreligiousbackground,isrelatedtoherdecision tomakeapolicereport? 2.)Doyouthinkwomenfromdifferentbackgroundsseekdifferenttypesofsolutionsin casesofdomesticviolence?

12

References Abdullah,R.(2003).NGOAdvocacyonWomen'sHealthandRightsinSoutheastAsia. Development.46(2),3337. Amirthalingam,K.(2005).Women'sRights,InternationalNorms,andDomestic] Violence:AsianPerspectives.HumanRightsQuarterly.27(2),683708. Ammar,NH.(2007).WifebatteryinIslam:acomprehensiveunderstandingof interpretations.ViolenceagainstWomen.13(5),51626. Ariffin,Jamilah.(1992).Women&developmentinMalaysia.PetalingJaya,SelangorDarul Ehsan,Malaysia:PelandukPublications. Bernard,H.R.(2006).Researchmethodsinanthropology:Qualitativeandquantitative approaches.Lanham,MD:AltaMiraPress. Blaxter,L.,Hughes,C.,&Tight,M.(1996).Howtoresearch.Buckingham:Open UniversityPress. Bong,Sharon.(2008).GoingBeyondtheUniversalversusRelativistRightsDiscourse andPractice:TheCaseofMalaysia.Violenceandgenderintheglobalizedworld:The intimateandtheextimate.Aldershot,England:Ashgate,2540. CEDAW.(2004).CombinedinitialandsecondperiodicreportsofStatesParties: Malaysia.ConsiderationofreportssubmittedbyStatespartiesunderarticle18ofthe ConventionontheEliminationofAllFormsofDiscriminationAgainstWomen.United Nations. Frith,T.(2002).ConstructingMalayMuslimwomanhoodinMalaysia.[Clayton],Vic:Centre ofSoutheastAsianStudies,MonashAsiaInstitute,MonashUniversity.

13

Holland,D.,Fox,G.,&Daro,V.(2008).SocialMovementsandCollectiveIdentity:A Decentered,DialogicView.AnthropologicalQuarterly.81(1),95126. Hooker,V.M.(2003).AshorthistoryofMalaysia:Linkingeastandwest.Shorthistoryof Asiaseries.CrowsNest,N.S.W.:Allen&Unwin. Kabeer,N.(1994).Reversedrealities:Genderhierarchiesindevelopmentthought.London: Verso. Kennedy,D.(2004).Thedarksidesofvirtue:Reassessinginternationalhumanitarianism. Princeton,N.J.:PrincetonUniversityPress. Lachenmann,G.,&Dannecker,P.(2008).NegotiatingdevelopmentinMuslimsocieties: Genderedspacesandtranslocalconnections.Lanham,MD:LexingtonBooks. Lim,K.C.,Oon,P.,YuslinovAhmad,&Devaraj,P.E.(1998).Malaysianwomenandthe law:Rights,discriminations,andreform.PulauPinang:NCWO,PenangBranch. Malaysia.(1997).DomesticViolenceAct1994(Act521).KualaLumpur:GoldenBooks CentreSDN.BHD.AvailablefromAWPLD2003. Malaysia.(2001).HumanRightsCommissionofMalaysiaSuruhanjayaHakAsasiManusia Malaysia.KualaLumpur,Malaysia:SuruhanjayaHakAsasiManusiaMalaysia. http://www.suhakam.org.my/. Merry,Sally.(2006).HumanRightsandGenderViolence:TranslatingInternationalLawinto LocalJustice.Chicago:UniversityofChicagoPress,Ltd. Mohd.ShahrizadMohd.Diah.(1996).Thelegal&socialissuesofwifebatteringandmarital rapeinMalaysia.KualaLumpur:DewanBahasadanPustaka. Neo,J.L.C.(2003)."AntiGod,AntiIslamandAntiQuran":ExpandingtheRangeof ParticipantsandParametersinDiscourseoverWomen'sRightsandIslamin Malaysia.UCLAPacificBasinLawJournal.21(1),2974. Ng,C.,MaznahMohamad,&Tan,B.H.(2006).Feminismandthewomen'smovementin Malaysia:Anunsung(r)evolution.RoutledgeMalaysianstudiesseries,2.London: Routledge. OthmanS,&MatAdenanNA.(2008).DomesticviolencemanagementinMalaysia:A surveyontheprimaryhealthcareproviders.AsiaPacificFamilyMedicine.7(1). PersatuanPergerakanWanita.(1988).Violenceagainstwomen...:Cometogether:anaction packforcampaignonlegalreformsforwomeninMalaysia.PetalingJaya,Malaysia:

14
PersatuanPergerakanWanita. Phoenix,A&PattynamaP.(2006).Intersectionality.EuropeanJournalWomensStudies.13 (3),187192. PopulationCensus.(2001).PopulationDistributionandBasicDemographicCharacteristics Report:PopulationandHousingCensus2000.<http://www.statistics.gov.my/ English/page2.html>Putrajaya,November6,2001.(June2,2010). PublicConsultationonViolenceAgainstWomen,&Nagarajan,S.(2005).Proceedingsof thePublicConsultationonViolenceAgainstWomen:11thOctober2004,PetalingJaya, Selangor.[PetalingJaya,SelangorDarulEhsan]:EducationandResearch AssociationforConsumers,Malaysia. RashidahAbdullah,RajHashim,R.,&Schmitt,G.(1995).BatteredwomeninMalaysia: Prevalence,problems,andpublicattitudes.PetalingJaya,SelangorDarulEhsan, Malaysia:Women'sAidOrganisation,Malaysia. RohanaAriffin,&Samuel,R.(1995).Violenceagainstwomen:DomesticviolenceinPenang. KualaLumpur:s.n.]. RoundTableDiscussionontheConventionontheEliminationofAllFormsof DiscriminationAgainstWomen.(2006).Report,RoundTableDiscussion:Rightsand obligationsunderCEDAW.KualaLumpur,Malaysia:Suhakam. Schuler,M.(1992).Freedomfromviolence:Women'sstrategiesfromaroundtheworld.New York,NY(Widbooks,P.O.Box20109,DagHammarskjoldConvenienceCenter, NewYork10017):OEFInternational. Sen,G.,&Benera,L.(1981).Accumulation,Reproduction,and"Women'sRolein EconomicDevelopment":BoserupRevisited.Signs,7,2,279298. Siraj,M.(1994).WomenandtheLaw:SignificantDevelopmentsinMalaysia.Lawand SocietyReview.28(3),561572. SISForum(Malaysia)Berhad.(1991).Arewomen&menequalbeforeAllah?Bangi, Selangor,Malaysia:SistersinIslam. SUARAM(Organization).(1994).Malaysiancharteronhumanrights.Selangor:Pub.by SuaraRakyatMalaysia(SUARAM). Tan,B.K.,&Singh,B.(1994).Uneasyrelations:ThestateandNGOsinMalaysia.Theroleof NGOsindevelopment,monograph1.KualaLumpur,Malaysia:Genderand DevelopmentProgramme,AsianandPacificDevelopmentCentre.

15
UnitedNations.(1996).TheBeijingDeclarationandthePlatformforAction:FourthWorld ConferenceonWomen.NewYork:UNDepartmentofPublicInformation. WomensAidOrganisation.(2007).WAOAnnualReport2007.PetalingJaya,Selangor: WAO. WomensAidOrganization.(2007).Statistics:DomesticViolenceCasesin2007. <http://www.wao.org.my/news/20080801DVStatistics.htm>.AccessedJune2, 2010. Weiss,M.L.,&Hassan,S.(2003).SocialmovementsinMalaysia:Frommoralcommunitiesto NGOs.London:RoutledgeCurzon. WorldHealthOrganization.(2006).Report:NationalReportonViolenceandHealth Malaysia.KobeCity,Japan:WHOCentreForHealthDevelopment. YutLin,W.,&Othman,S.(2008).EarlyDetectionandPreventionofDomesticViolence UsingtheWomenAbuseScreeningTool(WAST)inPrimaryHealthCareClinics inMalaysia.AsiaPacificJournalofPublicHealth.20(2),102116. YuvalDavis,N.(2006).IntersectionalityandFeministPolitics.EuropeanJournalof Women'sStudies,13,3,193209.