A CHILD is reportedly raped by her bus driver in Petaling Jaya. Government agencies, and an opposition Member of Parliament, call for immediate and strict action. Compare that to the responses or lack thereof that greeted evidence that Penan girls and women were being raped by truck drivers from logging companies in the Sarawak interiors.

Women’s rights logo (Public domain) ACCORDING to the Joint Action Group for Gender Equality (JAG), women in Malaysia have made little progress over the past 25 years. In a briefing for parliamentarians last week on 24 March, JAG listed out the good, the bad and the ugly that affect women. JAG’s research into the issues [...]

(Silhouettes by Ervin Bachik and Faakhir Rizvi / sxc.hu) IN early June 2009, Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) announced it would be amending its constitution to include, among others, a 30% quota for women leaders at all levels. PKR’s move likely made it the first party from either the Pakatan Rakyat or the Barisan Nasional to [...]

KUALA LUMPUR, 25 June 2009: The women’s wing of Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) wants the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry to not only release the Penan task force report to the public, but to also table it for debate in Parliament. “What is stopping the Malaysian government from publicising the report of the investigation? The repeated [...]

KUALA LUMPUR, 23 June 2009: PKR Wanita has challenged Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil to enact a policy that ensures 30% women’s representation in government within six months, or resign. PKR Wanita chief Zuraida Kamaruddin also pointed out that Shahrizat’s claim that the idea of a 30% quota for women’s representation was hers was factually inaccurate. [...]

KUALA LUMPUR, 16 June 2009: The women’s wing of Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) wants Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil to come up with a clearer national women’s policy on gender representation. “This issue needs political will. We want to see that from the government,” PKR Wanita chief Zuraida Kamaruddin said at [...]