This International Women’s Day, we applaud the United Nations women’s rights activist for changing the landscape of gender equality in Malaysia.
There’s so much a woman can be grateful for in celebration of International Women’s Day, centralised around the theme ‘Inspire Inclusion.’ Many of us can reference inspiring heroines like Hilary Clinton, Beyoncé and Malala Yousafzai as modern-day role models, but really, it’s the the humble local female activists who deserve credit for turning around the female rights situation in Malaysia.
One such virtuous soul is Mary Shanthi Dairiam, who’s played a key role in liberating women, instilling awareness and most notably, enforcing the Domestic Violence Act passed by parliament in 1994. Moved by the plight of abused, helpless women during her voluntary stint in the late 1970s under the Federation of Family Planning Associations (FFPA), Shanthi, a United Nations expert and founding director of International Women’s Rights Action Watch – Asia Pacific (IWRAW -Asia Pacific) gave up her teaching job and set out on a mission to eradicate gender inequality.
In Tatler’s International Women’s Day tribute, we make a comparison of female empowerment values in the past and how it influences women now and in the future.
Bridging the (equality) gap
“In the '70s and '80s, violence was not recognised as a violation of human rights, it was never condemned and it remained a family matter. The biggest change is now: the police are recognising it as a violation of law, a legal and criminal issue. The government has set and achieved the target of 30% female participation in senior positions in its sector.”