Domestic violence cases on the rise in Sibu

Posted on March 26, 2011, Saturday

CRISIS HANDLING: (From second leIt) Dr Zul, Lau and others attending the quarterly OSCC
meeting.
SIBU: The number oI domestic violence cases is on the rise here with 21 cases recorded between
January and February this year.
Dr Zul Imran Malek Abdol Hamid, who headed the Emergency and Trauma Department oI Sibu
General Hospital, said oI the 31 violence cases reported, domestic violence topped the list.
Giving the racial background oI these cases, he said 13 cases involved Chinese, Iban (13), Malay
(2) and others (3).
'For the Iirst two months oI the year, domestic violence cases came out on top with 20 women
being beaten while another case involved a man beaten by his spouse, he said.
He said last year there were 90 cases related to husbands beating their wives while another 13
cases involved wives beating their husbands.
Giving the rest oI this year`s statistics, Dr Zul revealed that there were six rape cases; child abuse
cases (3) and sodomy case (1).
'Last year, there were 59 rape cases involving 17 adults and 42 minors, indicating an alarming
rise among girls aged 16 and below, he noted.
Child abuse came in third with 11 cases Iollowed by one sodomy case.
The total number oI cases recorded last year stood at 174.
He also said the abused victims with primary school education Iormed the bulk with 100 cases
while 51 cases involved those with secondary school level education.
Dr Zul said there were eight cases involving those with tertiary education last year, adding that
11 cases involved uneducated persons while the level oI education in another Iour cases was not
known.
He said cases handled at One-Stop Crisis Centre (OSCC) included domestic violence, child
abuse, rape and sodomy.
Meanwhile, chairperson oI Sibu OSCC Datin Janet Lau urged the public to be aware oI such
services oIIered and to report any violence and rape cases at OSCC located at all government
hospitals.
'II the abused victims cannot come to the centre, he or she can call up the respective hospitals or
police or Social WelIare Department to assist in lodging the report, she advised.
For cases related to child abuse, any Iamily members or guardians can lodge on the child`s
behalI, she said.
She added that those who had been victimised and abused by Iamily members, employers or
unknown persons could lodge a report at OSCC at the Emergency and Trauma Department oI
Sibu General Hospital, police stations, Social WelIare oIIice or Legal Aid oIIice at Wisma
Vashti.

hLLp//wwwLheborneoposLcom/2011/03/26/domesLlcvlolencecasesonLherlselnslbu/


'iolence against women on the rise in
Malaysia
:, November , 9
omesLlc vlolence and rapes conLlnue Lo rlse desplLe governmenL efforLs Lo curb Lhe vlces a local dally
reporLed here on 1hursday

1he SLar quoLed Malayslan epuLy Women lamlly and CommunlLy evelopmenL MlnlsLer Chew Mel
lun as saylng LhaL women sLlll suffered from dlscrlmlnaLlon

Llvlng ln poverLy also dlsproporLlonaLely affecLed Lhe vulnerable group sald Chew here afLer launchlng
Lhe reporL on 1he Cender 1rap Women vlolence and overLy

Accordlng Lo 1he SLar Malayslan pollces sLaLlsLlcs showed LhaL Lhe number of reporLed domesLlc
vlolence cases wenL up by 303from 3264 ln 2006 Lo 3769 ln 2008

As of !une 2009 Chew sald 1820 domesLlc vlolence cases had been reporLed

Whlle Lhe lssue of poverLy among women and vlolence agalnsL Lhem had been on Lhe lnLernaLlonal
reglonal and naLlonal agendas Chew sald Lhe Malayslan governmenL had also amended leglslaLlon Lo
render proLecLlon Lo women

She also sald LhaL Lhe mlnlsLry would creaLe awareness among Lhe publlc and revlew laws and
regulaLlons LhaL dlscrlmlnaLed agalnsL women and hlndered Lhelr empowermenL
hLLp//engllshpeopledallycomcn/90001/90777/90831/6823093hLml

Domestic VioIence, Rapes on the Rise in MaIaysia:
Report
by Sreeraman on november 28 2009 aL 433 M Women nea|th News

Bomestic violence anu iapes continue to iise in Nalaysia uespite seveial effoits
maue by the uoveinment to cuib the vices, saiu Nalaysian Beputy Women, Family
anu Community Bevelopment Ninistei Chew Nei Fun.
e|ated L|nks
France to Pass Law Banning 'Psychological Violence' in Marriage
Domestic Violence an Offshoot of Violent Upbringing
Study Sheds Light on Prevalence of Honour Killings in ndia
Saudi Arabian Doctors Crusading Against Female Genital Mutilation


Addresslng Lhe medla aL Lhe launch of AmnesLy lnLernaLlonals reporL on 1he Cender 1rap Women
vlolence and overLy Chew sald Lhe lssue of poverLy among women and vlolence agalnsL Lhem had
been on Lhe lnLernaLlonal reglonal and naLlonal agendas for over a decade buL Lhey are sLlll sufferlng
from dlscrlmlnaLlon

She furLher sald LhaL Lhe mlnlsLry would creaLe awareness among Lhe publlc and revlew laws and
regulaLlons LhaL dlscrlmlnaLed agalnsL women and hlndered Lhelr empowermenL

Accordlng Lo sLaLlsLlcs from Lhe Malayslan pollce showed LhaL Lhe number of reporLed domesLlc vlolence
cases wenL up by 303 cases from 3264 ln 2006 Lo 3769 ln 2008 1he SLar reporLs

Meanwhlle soclal acLlvlsL Marlna MahaLhlr sald LhaL vlolence agalnsL women also lncluded sexual
harassmenL sexual vlolence female genlLal muLllaLlon Lhe socalled honour kllllngs and Lhe Lrafflcklng
of women and glrls

lL ls prlmarlly caused by gender lnequallLy where women are vlewed as lesser belngs Lhan men and
Lherefore have Lo be submlsslve conLrolled and explolLed she sald

SourceAnl
S8M

8ead more omesLlc vlolence 8apes on Lhe 8lse ln Malaysla 8eporL | Medlndla
hLLp//wwwmedlndlaneL/news/omesLlcvlolence8apesonLhe8lselnMalaysla8eporL61313
1hLm#lxzz1d8ywML8k

hLLp//wwwmedlndlaneL/news/omesLlcvlolence8apesonLhe8lselnMalaysla8eporL613131hLm




Domestic violence tops crisis cases reported
by Peter Boon. Posted on November 19, 2010, Friday
SIBU: Domestic violence is on the rise here, as 90 cases had been recorded until October this
year.

BEACON OF HOPE: OSCC secretary Juliana Wong (seated, Iourth leIt), director oI Sibu
Hospital Dr Chin Zin Hing (seated, right) and other personnel expound on the ways to help the
aIIlicted at a recent meeting.
The Sibu One-Stop Crisis Centre (OSCC), which quoted statistic Irom Emergency and Trauma
Department, Sibu General Hospital, revealed that most oI the cases involved husbands beating
their wives.
'From the 90 cases recorded, 83 cases were related to husbands beating their wives, while
another seven cases involved spouses beating their husbands, OSCC said in its press statement
sent to The Borneo Post, adding that 142 crisis cases were recorded Ior the past 10 months.
According to the same source, an average oI nine cases oI domestic violence was recorded
monthly, noting that August had the highest number oI occurrence with eight cases.
Meanwhile, the victims or survivors oI the crisis cases, which comprised rape, sodomy, child
abuse, domestic violence and others, were mostly Iemales (127) in contrast to only 15 males.
Giving the breakdown by age group, it disclosed that there were 109 adults in contrast to 33
minors (16 years and below).
'Under the minors group, there was one sodomy case and one male child physically abused case,
in comparison to 24 Iemale minors, who were sexually abused or raped mostly by male Iamily
members and boyIriends, whereas seven Iemale minors were physically abused by parents, it
stated.
Breaking down the statistic according to race, most victims were Iban with 56 cases, Iollowed by
Chinese (50), Malays (12) and others (24); comprised Melanau (17), Kenyah (1), Kayan (one),
Murut (one), Bajau (one) and Indonesian (three), it revealed. Despite the alarming crisis cases,
OSCC is all out to get the public to be aware and supportive Ioremost, in uniting against any
Iorms oI violence.
Meanwhile, those aged 21 years and above are called on to become volunteers and be trained as
para-counsellors.
More inIormation can be obtained by contacting the assistant secretary Ting at 014-8858585.




hLLp//wwwLheborneoposLcom/2010/11/19/domesLlcvlolenceLopscrlslscasesreporLed/




domestic violence
on the rise
Sunday, 21 December 2008 11:12am
%0$9,7 (Used by permission)
KUALA LUMPUR: Domestic violence is on the rise, with a 15 increase reported since 2006,
according to the police.
Criminal Investigations Department (CID) director Comm Datuk Mohd Bakri Zinin said the
Iigures were just 'the tip oI the iceberg.
'Many more cases are not being reported to the police because it is so deeply embedded in our
culture, making the problem almost invisible, he told a Iorum on domestic violence at the Bar
Council oIIice, here, yesterday.
He was speaking in his address themed 'The Role oI Police Involving Domestic Violence and
Custody Disputes Irom the Syariah and Civil Perspective which was organised by the
Association Against Parental Alienation KL and Selangor.
Bakri said police had also recorded a 1 increase in domestic violence cases between January
and November and they rose Irom 3,407 to 3,445.
'In most cases that we have received, the perpetrators were mostly known to the victims, he
said.
He said police could not act on some oI the cases as the victims withdrew their reports and
wanted the police not to pursue the cases.
'This is one oI the constraints Iaced by the police. Others include delays in reporting cases, lack
oI co-operation, and victims` reluctance to seek assistance, he said, adding that there were 194
cases oI retraction this year alone.
'II the victims ask to withdraw, we have to oblige. II we (decide) to charge the perpetrators, we
will have to take it to court, he said.
Asst Comm Suguram Bibi Munshi Deen, senior assistant director oI the police`s Sexual, Women
and Child Abuse division had strongly urged women to lodge reports, seek medical attention
Irom government hospitals and contact the division`s oIIicers Ior help.
'This special division is led by women police oIIicers to manage and investigate reports relating
to crime against women and children, she added.


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Sex abuse: The truth is out there
Jeswan Kaur
, May 23, 2011
Since the police are hiding the truth about sexual crimes against children, someone has to come
out and reveal the true story
COMMENT
When the nation`s top cop orders the 2010 Crime
Statistics booklet be placed under the banner oI OIIicial Secrets Act, bereIting the people details
on the state oI crime aIIecting women and children, what should the people make oI it?
The statistics are available in a booklet prepared by Bukit Aman`s Sexual Crimes Child Abuse
Division.
Women`s Aid Organisation (WAO), a non-governmental organisation, had three months ago
requested Ior the inIormation. The police responded saying they were unable to provide the
details as the Iigures were classiIied as conIidential documents.
The statistics requested include cases oI domestic violence, rape, incest, domestic worker abuse
and child abuse.
Thinking that the police made a mistake, WAO on April 1 wrote yet again to Bukit Aman,
explaining why the statistics were needed. On April 28, WAO received the 2010 Crime Statistics
Irom Bukit Aman with a cover letter inIorming that the inIormation given was Ior reIerence and
research purposes only it cannot be shared with a third party.
Puzzled by the sudden change oI aIIairs, WAO put in a letter oI appeal asking that the decision
be reconsidered.
The Inspector-General oI Police, Ismail Omar, the man who barred the inIormation Irom
becoming public knowledge, is now claiming he had no idea oI the WAO request.
'I haven`t seen the application. I have no idea what it`s about, was how Ismail tried to wriggle
his exit.
But as WAO executive director Ivy Josiah said, why are the police hiding the truth about sexual
crimes against children?
!ublic education messages
WAO wants the inIormation de-classiIied as the
inIormation in the booklet is important in learning the trends oI sexual crime to help people
understand the issue oI violence against women.
Said Josiah: 'We need them to Iormulate public education messages and policy reIorm. For
example, an important statistic is how many women die in their own homes and whether there
are prior domestic violence reports so we can see iI there`s a link.
Speculating on Bukit Aman`s reIusal to release the statistics unlike previously, she said it could
be that the inIormation puts the country in a bad light.
To Josiah, the best way to overcome such obstacles is by putting in place a Freedom oI
InIormation Act.
For WAO, the statistics assist it in oIIering services that are relevant with the changing times.
And statistics are crucial as it helps the group to understand trends and eIIects.
Without the statistics, WAO is unable to Iocus its attention on those who need it most and to help
combat these crimes.
In April 2009, Deputy Home Minister Chor Chee Heung reported to the Dewan Negara that
compared with 1,241 rape cases reported in 2007, the Iigure was higher in 2008, at 4,959 cases, ,
showing a 300 increase.
Also, in the Iirst two months oI 2009, 769 rape cases were reported.
Statistics Irom the police concerning domestic violence revealed that the number oI reported
domestic violence cases had increased by 505 cases Irom 3,264 in 2006 to 3,769 in 2008.
Furthermore, data obtained showed that the number oI rape cases had doubled in the last six
years, Irom 1,217 in 2000 to 2, 341 cases in 2006.

Financial difficulties blamed
In cases oI incest, a women`s group reported that
the incidence oI sexual abuse had increased within a Iive-year period (1993 to 1998). It was
reported that more than 50 oI all sexual abuse victims were under 16 years oI age.
Interestingly, a consultant community paediatrician at the Ipoh General Hospital, Dr Amar Singh,
in a letter dated April 13, 2002 to an English daily, said at least 8.3 oI all Malaysian Iemales
and 2.19 oI all Malaysian males had been sexually abused or had suIIered incest in their
childhood.
According to Amar, who Ior many years had worked with children who had been sexually
abused or who are victims oI incest, very Iew cases oI incest or sexual abuse had been brought to
court and even Iewer ended up with conviction. This is because under the Criminal Procedure
Code, it is diIIicult to provide suIIicient evidence particularly when it involves underage children.
Child abuse reports in Malaysia spiked to a record high last year, according to statistics, as police
blame the crime on misunderstandings and Iinancial diIIiculties.
The number oI physical child abuse cases jumped about 26 Irom 203 in 2009 to 257 in 2010,
the highest recorded over the last Iive years, police revealed to local daily, the Malay Mail,
recently. In 2006, the Iigure was only 141.
Conversely, the Department oI Social WelIare, in 2008 reported that child abuse cases stood at
2,780, unlike 2,279 in 2007 and 1,999 in 2006 respectively. It meant an average oI seven
children in Malaysia were reported to be victims oI abuse each day in 2008.
The 2008 report revealed that neglect is the most common Iorm oI child abuse (952 cases),
Iollowed by physical abuse (863), sexual abuse (733), oI which 529 (72) were incest. In
addition, 58 cases oI abandoned babies were also reported in that same year.
Failure to provide care and supervision has become the most Irequent cause oI death among
children. The World Health Organisation deIines child abuse and neglect as child maltreatment,
And as has happened in Malaysia on many occasions, child abuse has also led to the death oI the
child.
In 2009, the Indonesian Embassy second secretary (consular aIIairs), Susapto Anggoro Broto,
said Malaysia was the most problematic oI all the Asian countries that took in Indonesian
domestic helpers.
hild abuse cases on the rise
Each year, no Iewer than 1,000 domestic helpers, mostly Indonesians, Ilee Ior their lives aIter
suIIering cruelty at the hands oI their employers.
One such case that will Iorever haunt both Malaysia and Indonesia is that oI Indonesian domestic
helper Nirmala Bonat who made national news in 2004 aIter revealing the brutality Iaced at the
hands oI her employer, who abused Nirmala with an iron and boiling water. Four years later, the
employer, a housewiIe, was sentenced to 18 years in prison.
WAO programme oIIicer Valerie Mohan expressed unhappiness over the restrictive use oI the
inIormation given, especially when the police have reIused to explain the need to hide such
details.
She said the statistics were necessary as it would help WAO lobby Ior allocation oI resources not
only Ior the NGOs but also Ior the welIare department and the police.
'We maintain the position that Ireedom and access to inIormation is central to a democratic
process and that all statistics oI public interest should be made available in the public domain
without any hindrance by the authorities.
'Access to such inIormation is not only vital to WAO and civil society but it should also be
recognised that we have a right to have access to such inIormation, Valerie wrote to an online
news site.
Article 19 oI the Convention on the Rights oI the Child (CRC) provides that governments take
appropriate measures to protect children Irom all Iorms oI abuse, neglect and violence, by their
parents or anyone else who looks aIter them. In terms oI discipline, CRC upholds that any Iorm
oI discipline involving violence is unacceptable.
With the number oI child abuse cases on the rise in Malaysia, there is no excuse Ior Ismail to
classiIy the booklet under the OSA. Doing so only puts the police Iorce in a bad light Ior various
reasons, be it hiding the truth or not doing its job oI helping women`s groups work at putting in
place strategies to raise awareness among the public.
What is more important to Ismail is to hide as much truth as possible, perhaps to paint a glossy
picture oI Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak`s National Key Results Areas (NKRA) under its
Government TransIormation Programme. It was in March last year that Deputy Home Minister
Jelaing Mersat said the national crime index had dropped by 3.4 since NKRA`s crime
prevention campaign was initiated in 2009.
II the NKRA was indeed successIul in reducing crime rates as claimed, why then did the IGP
reIuse to disclose the statistics in the 2010 Crime Statistics booklet?
Or is the situation otherwise, with Ismail worried that the increasing crime rates are a harsh
reIlection oI the 'dedication oI the police Iorce to its proIession? Perhaps the indiIIerence
shown by the police in handling the rapes oI the Penan women and girls is a hint as to why the
IGP is uneasy in releasing the statistics to WAO.
Anyhow, since Ismail has decided to use his discretion in prohibiting the truth Irom reaching the
people, it is now leIt to the Women, Family and Community Development Minister Shahrizat
Jalil to step in and speak the truth, as it is out there.
The people are waiting.
hLLp//wwwfreemalayslaLodaycom/2011/03/23/sexabuseLheLruLhlsouLLhere/