The majority of violence against women is perpetrated by men, and prevention cannot succeed without men choosing to stop the harm. — SAMUEL ONG/The Star
VIOLENCE against women is preventable, but only if we treat it as a structural issue, and not a personal problem.
To eliminate violence against women, Malaysia must move beyond awareness campaigns and commit to systemic, long-term prevention, says the Women’s Aid Organisation (WAO).
For the 16 days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence (GBV), WAO is calling for stronger, coordinated action across all agencies – the justice system, health sector, welfare services, and education system.
“Violence against women is not a private matter or a women’s issue – it is a national safety concern and a collective responsibility,” says WAO Executive Director Nazreen Nizam. She explains that ending GBV requires a society-wide commitment to dignity, protection, and justice.
“We also want Malaysians to recognise that violence does not begin with the first slap – it begins much earlier, with inequality, control, entitlement, and the normalisation of harm in families, relationships, workplaces, and online spaces.
“We need to transform culture, strengthen our institutions, and ensure every woman can live free from fear.”
Nazreen: ‘Violence against women is a national safety concern and a collective responsibility.’
Misogyny as a systemic issue
Men also have an important role to play.
The majority of violence against women is perpetrated by men, and prevention cannot succeed without men choosing to stop the harm, says Nazreen.
“This requires gender-transformative change: men reflecting on their behaviours, challenging harmful norms among peers, rejecting entitlement, and actively creating safe, respectful environments.
“Ending GBV is not just about teaching women to protect themselves – it is about changing the attitudes and actions that fuel violence in the first place,” she explains.
This is why it is important to confront misogyny as a systemic issue in all areas, from workplaces to public institutions, online spaces and private homes.
An important first step, in addition to building awareness at home, is to embed comprehensive gender equality and consent education in schools so that young people grow up understanding respect, boundaries, and mutual responsibility.
“Instilling gender awareness also requires equipping frontline officials – including police officers, welfare officers, healthcare providers, and public prosecutors – with the proper training, protocols, and support they need to respond with urgency, empathy, and consistency,” says Nazreen.
At the same time, Nazreen stresses that NGOs and community organisations must be properly resourced, as they carry much of the critical frontline work that keeps survivors safe, informed, and supported.
Action against intimate partner violence
One of the most urgent concerns today is the rise in intimate partner violence and femicide, often preceded by stalking, threats, harassment, and coercive control that go unrecognised as high-risk.
Nazreen explains that while Malaysia already has laws addressing these behaviours, survivors still face hurdles such as inconsistent frontline responses and delays that leave them unprotected. They should not have to navigate fragmented pathways or face repeated delays when their safety is at stake, she says.
To prevent escalation, Nazreen says enforcement must be strengthened, protection treated as urgent safety work, and frontline agencies equipped to respond consistently and sensitively.
“Public narratives also need to shift: instead of blaming survivors or scrutinising their choices, we must focus on accountability, on the behaviour of perpetrators, and on the systems that enable harm. Malaysia must centre survivors’ voices. When women tell us they are afraid, controlled, stalked, or silenced, we must believe them, act quickly, and intervene long before a situation escalates into a crisis.”
Online safety a priority
WOMEN:girls Executive Director Izza Izelan says that although safety is a fundamental right, women and girls today feel more unsafe than ever.
“We call on families, institutions, tech companies and leaders to move beyond awareness to accountability and action. We need to strengthen protections, promote digital literacy, and invest in greater technology that centres around the safety of women and girls,” says Izza.
Izza: ‘Women and girls today feel more unsafe than ever. We need to move beyond awareness to accountability and action for their safety.’
The growing danger girls and women face in digital spaces, such as cyber-harassment, online stalking, image-based abuse, misogynistic hate, and the deliberate silencing of girls’ voices, are not merely “virtual” problems.
Izza explains that harm online directly shapes harm offline. When girls are threatened, tracked, or targeted online, their physical, emotional and social safety in the real world are put at risk.
“One of the most pressing issues in Malaysia is the growing lack of safety for girls and women online and offline. Stalking, doxxing, digital harassment and abuse increasingly spill into real-life harm,” says Izza.
To address this, Izza says that Malaysia must strengthen laws and enforcement on gender-based digital violence, hold tech platforms accountable, expand and strengthen digital safety education, and centre girls’ and women’s voices in shaping policies and technologies.
