Women's NGO reviews progress as country goes into endemic state

WCC and the Penang State Government, under the Penang State Exco for Social Development and Non-Religious Affairs, jointly signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to reaffirm their smart partnership known as Pusat Perkhidmatan Wanita (PPW) in Seberang Perai. Photos: WCC

In 2022, the women's Centre for Change Penang (WCC) handled a total of 341 new face-to-face and online counselling cases, an 86% increase from the previous year, with the lifting of travel movements as the country began its transition to an endemic phase.

"Only 12% of the counselling sessions were conducted online as our clients preferred physical interaction," says WCC president Annie Yeap.

Meanwhile, their Pusat Perkhidmatan Wanita (PPW) located on the mainland of Seberang Prai handled 177 new face-to-face and online counselling cases, an increase of 24% compared to 2021, with 7% of the sessions conducted online. PPW social workers were also able to visit child sexual abuse clients at hospital wards, says Yeap.

The Malaysian women's NGO has had to adapt and readjust its work on both virtual and physical platforms because of the pandemic.

We're thankful that we were able to adapt and adjust our work on both online and physical platforms to pursue our mission to eliminate violence against women and children, empower them, and advocate for gender equality and social justice, says Yeap.

"The year 2022 began with uncertainty as the Covid-19 pandemic persisted. But once the country started moving into an endemic stage, WCC rapidly transitioned back to the physical mode of working after two years of largely online activities. We're thankful that we were able to adapt and adjust our work on both online and physical platforms to pursue our mission to eliminate violence against women and children, empower them, and advocate for gender equality and social justice," she says.

"With the lifting of restrictions on travel and physical interactions, clients were able to seek face-to-face counselling at our centres on both Penang island and the mainland. We were also able to provide counselling and emotional support to clients, mostly children, at hospital wards. In total, WCC and PPW social workers handled 1,450 cases, comprising 518 face-to-face sessions and 932 new calls," she adds.

One of the key milestones was in April 2022 when WCC and the Penang State Government, under the Penang State Exco for Social Development and Non-Religious Affairs, jointly signed a Memorandum of Understanding to reaffirm their smart partnership known as Pusat Perkhidmatan Wanita (PPW) in Seberang Prai. Set up since 2009, PPW is funded annually by the Penang State Government, and its day-to-day operations are managed by WCC. In the 2022 MOU, both parties have agreed to continue the project for another three years.

The PPW been a critical step in helping victims of domestic and sexual violence, many of whom are based in the mainland of Penang which previously had lower access to such support, says Lai.

"This initiative has been a critical step in helping victims of domestic and sexual violence in the state, many of whom are based in the mainland of Penang which previously had lower access to such support," says WCC programme director Karen Lai, adding that the PPW has assisted well over 60,000 people to date.

WCC has also been a strategic partner in the Penang State Government's Safe Family Policy which was launched in 2020 to combat rising levels of domestic violence in the state, especially during the pandemic. WCC has worked in collaboration with the Penang Women's Development Corporation (PWDC) to train community level First Support Points (FSP) to handle domestic violence cases on the ground. In 2022, WCC conducted five training workshops for staff and community leaders of the Penang District Officers, Jabatan Agama, State Assemblypersons' service centres, and NGOs.

WCC has also been able to further expand its collaboration with hospitals on the mainland of Penang to help victims of sexual and domestic violence.

Moving to the endemic phase has also allowed WCC to resume its physical programmes to educate children on the dangers of sexual abuse and the prevalent threat of cyber violence.

"Often, such programmes are most effectively conducted in person rather than online due to the lack of access to digital technology among underprivileged groups, and also due to the young age of the children and the nature of the subject matter. In 2022, with the sponsorship of Intel, we expanded the reach of our OK Tak OK and Cybersafety programmes to B40 low income communities living in six Project Perumahan Rakyat (PPR) flats in Penang as well as six children's homes," she explains.

In October 2022, WCC also organised an in-person National Judiciary Dialogue on "Improving Court Processes for Child Sexual Crime Victims" which brought together 20 judges across Malaysia, from over eight different states including Sarawak, Johor, and Terengganu. This resulted in key recommendations to improve protections for child victims in court processes.

The information in this story is based on WCC's 2022 Annual Review.