Deputy Women, Family, and Community Development Minister Siti Zailah Mohd Yusoff has recently come under fire for marriage tips she has been giving out, and people are calling for her removal.
Controversial advice.
In the fourth video of her series Tip Ibu (Mother's Tips), Siti Zailah gave advice on how husbands should reprimand their wives if they are doing things they do not approve of.
According to her video, the husband has to educate his wife, and if the wife does not listen, Siti Zailah suggested that the husband separates their sleeping space for three days to pressure the wife into changing her behavior.
She goes on to add that if the wife still doesn't listen, the husband should apply a "gentle but firm physical touch" on her, and that the physical touch should be educational and loving, instead of being painful.
"However, if the wife still refuses to take the advice, or change her behavior after the sleeping separation, then the husbands can try the physical touch approach, by striking her gently, to show his strictness and how much he wants her to change," she said.
This is in stark contrast to her previous video in the series, which talked about how wives should handle their husbands. In it, she said that if a woman wants to confront her husband on behaviors she does not approve of, she should wait until he is in a calm state before asking for permission to speak; even then, she should speak in the softest way possible so he would accept her admonishments.
If he gets angry, the wife should keep quiet lest he gets angrier.
The people react.
Unsurprisingly, many are calling for her removal because her words seem to be normalizing domestic violence, and gender inequality.
The Joint Action Group for Gender Equality (JAG), a coalition of women's groups, released a statement calling out the deputy minister, saying that her words deny women the rights to equality, and freedom from degrading statements.
"During the Movement Control Order (MCO) period in 2020 and 2021 alone, there were 9,015 police reports on domestic violence, excluding reports received by NGOs and other support organizations," the statement reads. "There is often a stigma and fear attached to reporting violence and this is made worse by statements such as those of Siti Zailah."
The statement also pointed out that according to the 12th Malaysia Plan, the country is committed to the goal of gender equality, and is even party to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW).
Furthermore, Malaysia has been selected to the United Nations Human Rights Council with the promise to prioritize the rights of vulnerable groups like children and women.
"However, a public statement against gender equality and promoting gender-based violence at the ministerial level is in direct contradiction to this," the statement read.
Unfortunately, this isn't the first time Malaysia has been in the headlines for something like this. Back in 2020, Siti Zailah gave similar advice that suggests women should be patient with their abusive partners and to forgive them.
In another incident also in 2020, Malaysia's Women, Family, and Community Development Ministry gave advice on how women should act and dress while on lockdown with their husbands, including giggling and speaking in a Doraemon-like voice.
A final note...
If you have experienced, or are experiencing domestic abuse, know that you're not alone, and there are people out there who can help you. Should you need to contact anyone, try:
1. Women's Aid Organization (WAO) Hotline: +603 3000 8858
2. Women's Aid Organization (WAO) SMS/Whatsapp TINA: +6018 988 8058
3. Talian Kasih Hotline: 15999 or Whatsapp (0192615999)
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Cover image sourced from Bernama/ New Straits Times (NST) .
