Women’s Aid Organisation turns 40: Meet its 4 millennial directors advancing Malaysian women's rights

As WAO celebrates the milestones it has achieved these past four decades, Tatler sits down with these four young female directors who have taken up the mantle to fight for women's rights and address gender discrimination at all levels of society. Working hand-in-hand with survivors, like-minded organisations, government bodies and the media, they ensure that women from all walks of life can live safely and securely.

As advocacy director at the organisation, Abinaya works with the rest of the team to conduct research based on the needs of survivors and develop campaigns, shape policy and legal reform, and identify gaps in (and improve) existing organisational structures for reporting and accessing justice for gender-based violence, discrimination and inequality.

“I’ve learnt that trust is really the most important element in empowering each other,” she says. “This is hardest in a situation where there is a backlash or when you have to engage with others who do not align with your values. Learning how to develop trust in these relationships regardless is the most valuable lesson. It has been very impactful for me, particularly in my growth as a leader and a person, because the reality is that not many organisations would trust a relatively younger person to be in such a position. But working with our executive director Sumitra and my peers has been so deeply enriching. The fact that we also actively try to encourage and platform younger voices in this sector is indicative of that.”

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Having joined Women's Aid Organisation to find a safe space where her skills and strengths could be harnessed to ensure that future generations of women don't experience the same discrimination and violence we see today, Abinaya acknowledges that the non-profit is indeed a collaborative and empowering space that she hopes will evolve into a platform that equips future leaders who are unafraid to listen and “make space” for perspectives that challenge their own.

“There are many layers of power in the human rights activism landscape; some of these are gender, race, age, language, beauty and socioeconomic background,” she shares. “It’s harder to sit at the table for women as is and to be recognised as advocates and leaders by men. These difficulties are made much harder if you are younger. There is much more scrutiny because your experiences are often invalidated by age. I feel the only way to navigate it is to use what we can to create a safer space for younger women and also to platform them actively. It is hard sometimes, but important to ‘make’ space for other people. A simple example of this could even be taking up less time speaking up in lieu of someone whose voice we have not heard yet.”

Since she was 19 years old, Amnani dreamt of joining WAO. Her first steps with the organisation were in 2015 as a volunteer with the first batch of crisis support officers for the WAO hotline.

“The desire to be part of an organisation that promotes women empowerment and domestic violence services was longstanding as I grew up witnessing violence at home. WAO became part of my empowerment and healing journey,” shares Amnani, also affectionately known as Nani. In her role as director of partnerships and development, she leads organisational development and the sustainability of WAO, covering partnerships, branding, social media content, community volunteering, public education, events and fundraising.

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Beneath her fun-loving personality and larger-than-life sense of humour, Nani is under no illusions about the gravity of the work she and the team do at the organisation. “Working towards eliminating violence against women and girls towards gender equality is challenging and emotionally exhausting. It’s like swimming against the current. It requires mental stamina and a resilient spirit that has the audacity to change mindsets in a patriarchal culture. Through changes in government, several economic downturns, and a global health pandemic, WAO remains strong, serving the community because there is still a need for changes to make Malaysia a better country for women,” she adds, recalling how the Covid-19 pandemic forced WAO to double in size to be able to provide support services to a growing number of survivors during the lockdown. “The team moved in solidarity quickly to raise funds for operations and Covid-19 expenses, going digital in our hotline services and enrolling the community in our crisis support efforts to answer crisis calls and even source and deliver food aid.”

Nani recalls a case of a domestic abuse survivor who leapt from her balcony and broke her leg in an attempt to escape from her husband, who threatened to kill her if she left their apartment. Crawling to her Grab driver’s car, the woman was taken straight to the hospital to receive treatment, and the Grab driver waited with her to ensure she received medical attention.

“Throughout the last four decades, we have seen the evolution of the community’s intolerance of violence against women and children and the shift towards women’s equal opportunities and empowerment. We saw it clearly during the pandemic when WAO received many calls from the community seeking help for survivors. We see it in the legislative reforms and policies developed from the Domestic Violence Act 1994 to the recent enactments of the Anti-Sexual Harassment Act and the Anti-Stalking legislation. We saw it in the compassion shown by the Grab driver. It gives me faith in humanity that there are people out there who care. And it reminds me that we all need each other in some way; we all need to step up to be there for someone.”

Having a background in humanitarian work across various grassroots NGOs and international organisations, Charlene Murray is in her element as services director at WAO, overseeing its services and ensuring that women in crises receive appropriate responses and support when needed.

“From service delivery and building safe communities to addressing gaps in our law and policies which do not promote equity, WAO is committed to changing the landscape of equity and equality within all sectors,” says the mum of two. “With an operation of our magnitude and size, sufficient funds are always a challenge to ensure the work that we do, especially in the area of services to ensure our survivors can be adequately supported.”  

Although domestic abuse was previously seen as a ‘family issue’ that shouldn't be brought out to the open, societal attitudes towards it have slowly shifted, says Murray. This is seen in WAO’s work promoting community-based response systems and highlighting the importance of Malaysians’ collective responsibility in addressing violence against women and children.

“We have had volunteers, staff and funders who were previous children of survivors who are giving back to the cause, and that is truly a testament to the impact our services had made in their greatest time of need,” she says. “Personally, hearing the success stories of individuals who have been lifted and empowered to escape the cycle of violence and are now paying it forward to the cause of preventing and responding to the needs of others is an empowering message to all of us that no act of service is too small.”

Undeniably, one of WAO’s greatest strengths is mobilising communities and volunteers to ensure that its work extends beyond its own four walls.

And this is where training and capacity-building come into play. “As the capacity building director at WAO, I develop and implement capacity building strategies that enhance the knowledge and skills needed to address gender-based violence effectively and achieve gender equality,” says Nazreen, who joined the organisation as capacity building coordinator in 2021. “I lead the capacity building team, which is essentially WAO’s training wing, in engaging and empowering grassroots communities, government agencies, corporations, universities and colleges, as well as other civil society organisations through workshops, dialogues and other community development activities on issues about human rights, gender equality and gender-based violence.”

Currently pursuing a Master’s in Gender Studies at University Malaya, Nazreen envisions a future in which women in Malaysia are safe and free from gender-based violence. “We are now more than just the services we offered to survivors,” she adds. “We learned from our clients and use what we’ve learnt to push for law reform and policy change. We reach out to communities around Malaysia to empower them to recognise and respond effectively to gender-based violence and know the support agencies to which they can refer cases of gender-based violence. We are also now engaging with men in gender-based violence prevention.”

Like Abinaya, Charlene and Nani, Nazreen understands the perils of burnout and fatigue on this journey towards greater safety and equality for women in Malaysia. And like her fellow sisters-in-arms, she recognises the importance of solidarity and giving a platform to younger voices in this fight. “I believe in collective power. Over the years, I’ve learnt to celebrate the diversity of personalities we have in the organisation. Despite our differences in approach, we are moving towards the same end goal.”

If you or someone who know has suffered abuse or violence, contact the Women's Aid Organisation Hotline at +603 3000 8858 or send a WhatsApp or SMS to its 24-hour emergency hotline TINA at +6018 988 8058. Visit wao.org.my/volunteer to learn how you can volunteer to make a difference in advancing women's rights in Malaysia  

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