A participant learning self-defence skills at the event at Kl Gateway Mall, Kuala lumpur.
THE highlight of the Women’s Street Crime Awareness Campaign was the Iron Lady Awards 2023.
Held at KL Gateway Mall, the campaign by the Road Safety Marshal Club saw 17 women honoured.
“These iron ladies have demonstrated courage and kindness which made a difference in the lives of many.
“We want to honour their accomplishments because they are shining examples for others to follow and create a better world for the community and society,” said club founder and president K. Balasupramaniam, known to many as Captain Bala.
The sixth edition of the campaign was held to raise awareness among women on various street crimes and teach them survival skills.
Bala (front, third from right), Sumangala (in suit), Cheah on his right, Lee (wearing cap) with other guests and recipients of the Iron Lady Awards 2023. In back row are Mayuri (right) and Doliris (fifth from right).(Left pic) A participant learning self-defence skills at the event at KL Gateway Mall, Kuala Lumpur. — Photos: FAIHAN GHANI/The Star
Bala said they wanted to equip women with proper knowledge and techniques to defend themselves in different settings.
“Many women are unaware of the risks and challenges they face on the streets so we want to make sure they can stay alert and be prepared for any scenario,” he said.
A recipient of the Iron Lady Award, Mayuri Prabhabi Dias, 49, from Sri Lanka, hoped to impart the skills and knowledge she had learnt from Bala in her country.
“I believe empowering women is essential for the progress, health and social well-being of the nation.
“When women are empowered, they are able to reach their full potential and can make meaningful contributions,” she said.
Mayuri said she had participated in many community projects such as building houses for the needy and distributing food during Covid-19 as the chairman of Sri Lanka Air Force Seva Vanitha Unit.
“Since there are many female Sri Lankan students in Malaysia, I’m planning to initiate an awareness campaign to educate them on the importance of women empowerment and social protection,” she said.
Doliris Naang, a 51-year-old recipient of the award from Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, said she had been participating and collaborating with Bala to help the community for about seven years.
“I think it’s good to hold this campaign, especially for the public as it equips us with practical safety measures.
“I’m a police officer in the aircraft engineering department and we’ve done street crime awareness campaigns as well, but they’re not as widespread as this one,” she said.
Doliris added that the campaign was an eye-opener and a great resource for the public.
Bosch AA Malaysia country manager Dillion Goh said they were honoured to be part of this year’s awareness-raising campaign.
“Safety for women including car and road safety is a priority of ours.
“This campaign aligns with the values of our #BoschEmpowersWomen initiative, which aims to empower and educate women drivers to know their vehicles better by practising proactive car care and having the basic skills and knowledge to troubleshoot during a breakdown,” she said.
The public were able to participate in various activities at the campaign such as learning how to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), effective ways to use pepper spray safely as well as defensive and escape methods in the case of abduction and physical assault.
Home break-in, handbag snatching and kidnapping scenarios were also featured so participants could learn how to react in a safe and controlled environment.
Also present were Alliance for Safe Community chairman Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye, Sunway Group exco member Datin Seri Susan Cheah and Sri Lanka High Commissioner to Malaysia Air Chief Marshal (Rtd) Sumangala Dias.
