INTERNATIONAL DAY OF DISABLED PERSONS 2009

 
This year the 'Hari OKU' was celebrated in a Carnival style. A few hundred disabled persons participated in the event organised by the Department of Social Welfare and was held at the premises of the Malaysian Association of the Blind, Brickfields. It was officiated by Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil, the Minister for Women, Family and Community Development. 

YB Datuk Seri Shahrizat placing the wishes of disabled Malaysians
on the 'Wishing Tree'

"Elimination of Violence Against Women" Day

Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State

Washington, DC

November 25, 2009

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"Today, a woman somewhere in the United States will be physically assaulted by her husband. In a remote village on the other side of the world, traffickers will lure a young girl away from her family and sell her into sexual slavery. In towns in every region of the globe, groups of men will harass young women as they attempt to go to school. And in a conflict-ravaged land, armed men will brutally rape a mother and her daughter, part of a deliberate strategy of war. Today and every day, women and girls all over the world will face violence simply because they are female. This gender-based violence not only harms the victims and their families, it shreds the fabric that weaves us together as human beings.

"Violence against women cannot be accepted as 'cultural' -- it is criminal. Today, as we mark Elimination of Violence Against Women Day, let us recommit ourselves – men and women in every country – to work together to end these atrocities, to hold those who commit them accountable, and to support the survivors. No woman or girl anywhere in the world should have to walk in fear or live under the threat of violence.

"When women are accorded their rights and afforded equal opportunities in education, health care, employment, and political participation, they drive social and economic progress. They lift up themselves, their communities, and their nations. But none of these benefits is possible unless girls are able to learn without fear and women are able to have autonomy and decision-making over their own lives, and those are the very things that violence and the fear of violence take away.

"The United States will continue to stand with women around the world to ensure that their rights are protected and respected, and that they have the opportunity to pursue an education, find a good job, live in safety and fulfill their own God-given potential."

The Obama Administration has made women's empowerment a core pillar of American foreign policy. Earlier this year, the President appointed Melanne Verveer to be the first ever Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women's Issues. In August, Secretary Clinton traveled to the Democratic Republic of Congo to shine a spotlight on the use of rape as a tactic of war. And in September, she chaired a United Nations Security Council session that passed Resolution 1888 to prevent and respond to sexual violence in armed conflict.

Mini Sports Carnival

                             Tan Mei Lee serves to Chitra

An indoor mini-sports carnival organised by Beautiful Gate Foundation (BGF) was held at the Puay Chai chinese primary school in SS2, Petaling Jaya on 24th October 2009. Although response from disability organisations this year was not as encouraging as in 2007, it was a fun event for all who participated.

The games competed were table tennis (men and women), badminton, Chinese chess and international chess.


Newcomers for the ladies table tennis included a talented young lady Tan May Ling from Johore who has just started her independent living training at BGF, Clancy Chung and Sia Siew Chin's 10-year old daughter. Others included Chitra, two other ladies and yours truly. In the men's draw, originally five had signed up but only three - Foo Kok Jun, David Cherian and Liew Yoke Fang turned up. It meant all three were 'winners' from the start!

A dedicated team of volunteers who took up roles as officials, umpires, and personal assistants made sure the matches went on smoothly without a hitch.

I was intrigued by the presence of a group of 10 year olds from Puay Chai, accompanied by their teacher who wanted to give them exposure to disability sports. The children not only watched and cheered, but also had a first-hand experience playing badminton on wheelchairs!

At the closing ceremony, the Director of BGF, Sia Siew Chin thanked all participants, volunteers and guests who contributed towards the success of the mini sports carnival. Among the VIPs invited to give away prizes to winners was the All Petaling Jaya Residents' Association (APAC) President Mr. Liew Wei Beng.

Results : Table Tennis (Men) : 1. Foo Kok Jun 2. David Cherian 3. Liew Yoke Fang
Table Tennis (Women) :1. Bathmavathi Krishnan 2. Clancy Chung 3. Tan May Ling

                                                Men's doubles Badminton finals

POLICE MEET WITH DISABILITY GROUPS
An interesting Dialogue Session was held between the Royal Malaysian Police (PDRM) and representatives from several disability groups at the Department of Social Welfare Malaysia (JKM) this morning, chaired by its Director General Dato' Meme Zainal Rashid. The need for this dialogue was requested by a disabled member of the National Council on Disability Mr. Mah Hassan Omar, at their last meeting in August, who highlighted the rising spate of crimes against disabled persons nationwide.

The quick response by JKM in arranging for the dialogue is indeed welcome, and rightly so in compliance with the six National Key Result Areas (NKRA) in the Key Performance Indicators (KPI) announced by our Prime Minister recently, first of which is the reduction of crime rate. To have disabled persons' interests and safety included in this IS a rare first!! Yes, we are also a part of the community who need protection and a safe environment.

The police were represented by a seven member team comprising heads of the various departments, including the Commercial Crimes Division, Criminal Investigation Dept and D11 Division for Sexual Offences and Offences against Children.

Among the issues brought up in the two-hour discussion were : problems faced by the blind in making a police report, particularly in describing the suspect; communication problems when the deaf go to the police station to make a report; dilemma of disabled victims where the perpetrators of crimes are family members or those who are in authoritative positions in charge of institutions or caring centres and the general safety of disabled persons in public areas.

The police also informed of several cases where the perpetrators were disabled persons. For this disabled representatives requested that police lock-ups and detention centres be made accessible and barrier-free.

Disability groups recommended that Disability Equality Training be given to police personnel as part of their in-service training. This will enable them to be sensitive to the needs of disabled persons and serve them accordingly. The police and JKM responded positively to this recommendation and agreed to work out a plan of action to implement it.

Saturday September 12, 2009

Special stickers for the disabled in Selangor

By GEETHA KRISHNAN

SPECIAL stickers for the disabled, enabling them to park their vehicles for free in public car parks all over Selangor, can now be obtained from their respective local authorities.

The state government has printed 500 of these stickers for each local authority in the state.

It is issued free to those with various types of disabilities, nerve disorders, those with children with learning disabilities and those with a combination of several disabilities.

Helping the disabled: The special stickers issued to the disabled by the Selangor government.

However, the blind and deaf do not qualify.

Kajang municipal councillor Lee Learn Eng clarified that the disabled could approach only one local authority for the special sticker and its validity would expire at the end of 2010.

“There are two types of stickers – one which can be displayed in vehicles, and the other, a mobile sticker for them to use if they intend to travel in other vehicles.

“The stickers have multi-coloured dots visible only under ultra-violet rays to prevent forgery,” he said at a press conference at Menara MPKj on Friday.

“To register for the stickers, we need a photocopy of the individual’s MyKad, OKU Card issued by the Welfare Department, driving licence and two passport-sized photographs.

“If the sticker is lost or misplaced, we will impose a RM30 fine and suspend the sticker privileges for three months,” he added.

Lee said the free parking facility was applicable only to the disabled and not their family members and friends.

Misuse of the stickers will result in the respective local authority issuing parking summonses.

So far, 10 of the special stickers have been issued by the MPKj. Those intending to apply for the stickers are urged to visit the council’s Community Services Depart-ment on Level 6.

Also present at the press conference were councillors Ong Seng Peng and P. Narayanan.

It is ironical that such a talented Malaysian disabled person should get recognition and financial support from afar, while Malaysian companies and agencies have turned a deaf ear in apathy to his pleas. Yet, Leon Lim is a TRUE Malaysian, keen to promote Malaysia globally through his art. He is one person who is showing others what he can do for his country............

I truly hope Leon gets some positive response soon.







15 June 2009
Deaf artist hopes sponsors will help make Beijing invite a reality
By LIM AI LEE


NEW YORK: A Malaysian deaf artist here has been invited to hold an interactive art exhibition at the prestigious Central Academy of Fine Arts (Cafa) Museum in Beijing next month.

New York University (NYU) graduate student Leon Lim (pic) said he received an invitation from the museum recently to showcase his work “Silent Story” comprising a collection of four projected moving-image displays from July 10.

“I hope to promote Malaysian contemporary art in the Beijing museum, which has drawn much global interest for its state-of-the art architecture and exhibits,” said Lim, whose works have been exhibited at galleries such as the John F. Kennedy Center in Washington DC and the World Financial Center here.

Alor Setar-born Lim intends to leave for Beijing on July 6 to set up his multimedia installations but his plans may be derailed if he is unable to raise sufficient funds for the trip.

“I have written to numerous companies, government agencies and organisations in Malaysia for sponsorship but have not received any positive reply,” said Lim, who needs US$5,000 (RM17,500) for the trip.
Deafness is part of my identity. It is not an illness... LEON LIM

He added that the Cafa Museum was subsidising US$50,000 (RM175,000) on exhibition space for 25 artists to display their works and was also taking care of the shipping, installation and insurance costs.

“The museum has indicated it will be happy to promote any Malaysian organisation or corporation which is interested in sponsoring my travel and participation,” he said in an e-mail interview.

Those interested in finding out more about the exhibition can contact him at leonlim26@hotmail.com.

Lim, who is pursuing a Master of Fine Arts degree in Interactive Communication at NYU, does not have any scholarship and supports himself by working part-time.

Aspiring to form his own company promoting art and film-making in Malaysia one day, he does not see deafness as a disability.

Born profoundly deaf, Lim said his parents only realised his predicament when he was two years old.

“Deafness is part of my identity. It is not an illness or disorder. I cannot hear or speak but I can communicate by writing or through sign language,” he added.

The former student of the Federation School for the Deaf in Penang first arrived in New York in 2000 to study at the Rochester Institute of Technology with three scholarships.

His multimedia installations and public artworks have been exhibited in the United States and South Korea. He has also been invited to exhibit his work in Russia and Italy.

Lim is also planning to hold an exhibition at Universiti Sains Malaysia’s Art Gallery in Penang soon.

Brutal Murder of Disabled Girl

This can happen in Malaysia? This gruesome find negates the sacred notion that ours is a caring nation. What was the community doing? Where were the neighbours?





30th April 2009
Dad accused of murder may have molested daughters (Update) By TAN SIN CHOW
GEORGE TOWN: A man accused of killing his disabled daughter and burying her in a field may be a bigger fiend that earlier thought — he is also suspected of sexually abusing his three other daughters.
Police first arrested the 41-year-old odd job worker on Tuesday on suspicion of outraging the modesty of the girls after one of the victims, a 12-year-old, told church members what the father had done to them in their home in Air Itam, said sources.
One of the three victims later revealed how the father also abused her disabled sister, killed and buried her in 2006, said the sources.
Police then went to the shallow grave in Jalan Kampung Pisang here and dug out the skeletal remains of the seven year-old girl on Wednesday. The remains were identified as those of Priya.
Initial investigations revealed that the suspect could have accidentally beaten his daughter to death with a stick, state CID chief Senior Asst Comm II Wan Abdullah Tuanku Said told reporters Thursday.
“One of his sons, now 16, had followed the suspect and witnessed his sister’s burial. It was he who led us to the grave,” he said.
Police also found the dead girl’s hands and legs tied with raffia string when they examined the skeletal remains.
SAC II Wan Abdullah said they believe the girl could have been repeatedly struck on the head with a stick as there were crack marks on her skull.
The case has been classified as murder.
Police also found out the suspect has two wives and 14 children, including the murdered girl. The wives, aged 31 and 37, were arrested outside a restaurant in Jalan Air Itam yesterday. They are believed to be sisters.
Priya was the sixth child of the older woman.
State forensics pathologist Datuk Dr Bhupinder Singh said he expected the post-mortem result to be ready by next Monday.





Thursday April 30 2009
Girl, 7, believed murdered by dad and buried in secret
By TAN SIN CHOW
GEORGE TOWN: The skeletal remains of a seven-year-old disabled girl, who died after being allegedly beaten by her father in 2006, were exhumed from a shallow grave in Jalan Kampung Pisang, Air Itam, here.
Police carried out the exhumation following a report by a close relative accusing the father of filicide. The man was arrested on Tuesday night.
One of the man’s three sons led police to the gruesome discovery in an open field at 1pm yesterday. The three brothers were at the scene when police exhumed the girl’s remains.

Brutal end: Forensic police collecting what’s believed to be Priya’s skull from a shallow grave in Air Itam.
State CID chief Senior Asst Comm II Wan Abdullah Tuanku Said said police were assisted by forensic pathologist Datuk Dr Bhupinder Singh.
“Our investigations found that the girl, identified as Priya, could have been beaten to death with a stick at a house in Bandar Baru Air Itam in March 2006.
Her three brothers were at the scene after one of them led police to the site.
“She was then taken to the site and buried. We have classified the case as murder.
“The father, an odd-job labourer in his 40s, has been remanded by a magistrates court,” he said, adding that police were looking to the girl’s mother to assist in the investigations.
It is learnt that only 60% of the skeletal remains were found.

-------------------------------------------

Courtesy : The Sun (Web Edition)
Wives of man suspected of killing daughter detained

PENANG (April 30, 2009) : Police have detained two wives of a man suspected of killing his disabled daughter in Kampung Pisang, Ayer Itam three years ago.
Two wives of a man suspected of killing hisdisabled daughter in Kampung Pisang.Penang CID chief SAC II Wan Abdullah Tunku Said said the women aged 31 and 37 were detained in front of a restaurant in Jalan Ayer Itam at 1am today.
"We believe they knew about the killing but did not report it. It was only revealed after the 41 year-old suspect was detained for molesting another daughter," he told reporters here today.
Wan Abdullah said the victim, a daughter of the 37 year-old wife was seven years-old when she was killed and buried at a field in Kampung Pisang.
"The girl's brother, now 16 years-old was also present when the father buried the body in a 0.9 metre hole. An autopsy report revealed a crack in the skull " he added.
The two housewives were remanded for seven days to assist investigation under Section 302 of the Penal Code.
Police detained the suspect after his two children exposed the crime leading to the discovery of the girl's skeleton in a field two kilometres from his house. -- BERNAMA

CONTINUED VIOLENCE AGAINST WwD

This is alarming. We are hearing about one case every week (what about those unreported?). A seminar organised by Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development on International Women's Day, March 8th, carried the United Nations theme for 2009 - " Women & Men United to End Violence Against Women & Girls". How committed is our government in eradicating all forms of violence against women, which is seen to be rising? - The situation is worse for women with disabilities who are more vulnerable, helpless having no recourse to help, leave alone report.

The govt. has set up One -Stop Crisis Centres(OSCC) in six hospitals within the Klang Valley particularly to deal with violence against women - it was highlighted in the Seminar that calls to the Centres went unanswered. What is the point of setting up the OSCCs, if there's no one to attend to victims? I don't think there are any in the other states either.




Thursday March 12, 2009
Elderly man detained for raping disabled girl

PONTIAN: A senior citizen going by the nickname “Uncle Amoi” has been arrested for allegedly raping his 14-year-old mentally-challenged neighbour repeatedly over the past four months.

The 63-year-old suspect went to the victim’s home in Pekan Nenas whenever her labourer father was away at work.
He also allegedly gave the victim a pill and injected her with an unidentified substance before raping her.

His crime was uncovered when the victim’s Special Education teacher suspected something amiss and questioned the teenager.
The victim confided in the teacher who took her to the Pekan Nenas police station on Sunday.

Pontian OCPD Supt Zahaliman Jamin said doctors at the Sultanah Aminah Hospital in Johor Baru confirmed the girl had been raped.
“We detained the suspect at his home early Tuesday morning,” he said, adding that the suspect has been remanded until today.

In another incident, police picked up a 42-year-old assistant managing director of a factory for allegedly outraging the modesty of three female workers.
The suspect had allegedly repeatedly groped his workers’ buttocks and hugged them from behind since September last year but none of the victims was brave enough to lodge a report against him.
The situation changed when one of them could not take the harassment any more after he allegedly groped her buttocks about 2.30pm on March 6.
The 38-year-old complainant claimed she confronted the suspect but he laughed at her.
She then lodged a report at the Pontian police station.
Supt Zahaliman said the suspect was picked up at the factory around 10pm on Tuesday.
He said the other two victims were afraid to lodge reports against the suspect because of his high position in the factory.
“We advise all victims to come forward as such crimes should not be tolerated no matter how high-ranking the offender is.”
He urged anyone with information on both cases to contact the police hotline at 07-2212999 or the nearest police station.


Tuesday March 3, 2009
Rubber tapper catches student raping his disabled wife

KUANTAN: A Form Three student who allegedly raped a mentally-challenged woman was caught by the victim’s husband in a housing estate in Triang.
State CID chief Asst Comm T. Narenasagaran said the 35-year-old victim’s husband, a rubber tapper, caught the suspect in the act.

He said coincidentally, the husband, 55, came home from tapping rubber and caught them in the act at about 3.15pm on Friday.
“The suspect tried to flee but was caught after a brief struggle before he was handed over to the police.

ACP Narenasagaran said the suspect faced a rape charge under Section 376 of the Penal Code.

In a separate case, police detained four Form Five students for allegedly assaulting a hostel mate.
ACP Narenasagaran said the victim, aged 15, alleged that he was kicked by the four in the dormitory of the school, causing him to suffer bodily injuries.

Public forum: `Persons with Disabilities Act 2008 – What Next?`
(article and photos courtesy Bar Council Malaysia)

Contributed by Allison Ong Lee Fong

Kuala Lumpur, 17 January 2009 – Malaysian Bar President Dato’ Ambiga Sreenevasan strongly urged the Government to ratify the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (“the Convention”) and to also accede to the Optional Protocol in a public forum entitled “Persons with Disabilities Act 2008 – What Next?”, organised by the Bar Council Law Reform and Special Areas Committee, held at the Bar Council auditorium today.

The forum was officially opened by Dato’ Meme Zainal Rashid, Director of the Social Welfare Department, on behalf of YB Dato’ Ng Yen Yen, Minister of Women, Family & Community Development. Five speakers who have different areas of expertise were invited to comment on the Persons with Disabilities Act 2008 (“PWD Act”) and to give suggestions to improve it

In her welcome address, Dato’ Ambiga questioned why the PWD Act’s drafters appear to have shied away from the fuller language and spirit of the Convention. According to her, there is no provision for any penalty for any party who does not live up to the obligations under the PWD Act. There is also a lack of remedies-pursuing procedures in the Act. In fact, the Federal Government is expressly exempted from any wrong-doing under the PWD Act even if it fails to address the needs of disabled persons. Helen Chin, a lawyer and Chairperson of the forum’s Organising Committee who is known for her active campaigns on the rights of the disabled, highlighted the American Supreme Court case involving Sandra Winkleman, the mother of a child with special needs who contested the adequacy of the Individual Education Plan for her child. Helen stressed the active role parents should take in advocating the rights of children with special needs. Helen also commented on some major omissions and gaps in the PWD Act with respect to monitoring, sanctions and penalties. She expressed, among others, the importance of prevention and early detection of disabilities, of provisions for anti-discrimination, and the necessity of implementing an Individual Education Plan. She suggested the commercial establishments play a part in supporting the disabled by offering them a higher fixed deposit interest rate, and rebates and discount for them to purchase computers.

Bathmavathi Krishnan, a writer, activist and the Secretary of the Malaysian Confederation of the Disabled, based her discussion on the shortcomings of the PWD Act and how to utilise its provisions to enhance, and protect and implement more effectively, the rights of the disabled. She emphasised the genuine inclusion of the disabled into society and urged for the “human rights and fundamental freedoms of the disabled” to be given due weight, as opposed to just lumping the disabled under “social welfare” criteria.Bathmavathi commented that sections 13 and 14 of the PWD Act are the tools that can be used to propose changes to various areas, such as accessibility, transportation and health care, affecting disabled persons. She also pointed out the lacuna in Article 8(2) of the Federal Constitution, which falls short of prohibiting discrimination on the ground of disability. To her, the absence of sanctions for non-compliance renders the PWD Act ineffective, and more of an “administrative document”.

Mohammad Faizal Che Yusof, a lawyer involved in various organisations working on issues relating to the blind and a Bar Council Human Rights Committee member, gave an overview of the PWD Act. He discussed a few areas that could be enhanced to better the lives of the disabled, such as housing facilities in particular. He highlighted that teachers and coaches dealing with the disabled have to be properly trained so as to understand the potential and capabilities of the disabled. Promotion of opportunities for disabled persons to work should be accompanied by a “real commitment” of the same. He asserted that data collection and conduct of surveys regarding the disabled remain a challenge especially since registration of the disabled is not compulsory in Malaysia.

Lawyer and Bar Council Legal Aid Centre Chairperson Ravi Nekoo focused on the criminal aspects of the PWD Act and shared with the audience his views, and illustrated by various examples why the Act is not disabled-friendly. The rights of a person arrested are in reality not readily communicable to the disabled, especially those who are mentally-challenged or deaf, due to the lack of specific training for the police officers and the lack of facilities at police stations. Similarly, crime victims with disabilities may have problems lodging a police report as the existing procedures are not designed in a way to accommodate a victim’s disabilities.Ravi compared our system with other jurisdictions wherein they have developed more disabled-friendly strategies and facilities, and urged that our criminal justice system be improved to cater for the disabled.

A paper prepared by the final speaker, Mah Hassan Haji Omar, head drafter of the PWD Act, President of the Malaysian Confederation of the Disabled and President of the Society for the Blind, was read out by Lee Swee Seng. He shared the other speakers’ disquiet over the PWD Act’s silence on prohibiting discrimination and harassment of the disabled. He pointed out the need for Malaysia to implement the paradigm shift from a charity-based approach to a rights-based approach. The floor was then opened to the audience during an hour-long question-and-answer session.

A number of parents with disabled children stepped forward to share their concerns and their plight in advocating for their children’s rights. Among the issues highlighted were the importance of early intervention to ensure that disabled children can lead a normal and independent life, the difficulties in assessing and streamlining eligibility for special education, and the support that the government, NGOs as well as civil society can give to disabled persons and their families.

The five-hour forum ended at 1.15 pm following the closing speech by Dato’ M. Ramachelvam, Bar Council member and Chairperson of the Law Reform & Special Areas Committee, urging the government to give full recognition and implementation to the rights of the disabled.

The forum was attended by various government officials, members of the Bar, persons with disabilities and other members of the public. Sign-language interpreters Agnes Peter and Edward Boey from the RC Deaf Mission were present throughout the forum to cater for the needs of deaf persons.

KUDOS TO SELANGOR POLICE FOR MAKING THIS SPECIAL PROVISION FOR THE ELDERLY AND DISABLED PERSONS. WE URGE THAT SIGN LANGUAGE INTERPRETERS FOR THE DEAF BE PROVIDED AT POLICE STATIONS AS WELL. OTHER STATES SHOULD ALSO FOLLOW SUIT

Saturday January 17, 2009
SPECIAL COUNTERS AT S’GOR POLICE STATIONS

KUALA LUMPUR: The Selangor police have set up special counters in police stations and district police headquarters to give priority to those making emergency police reports.

Selangor Police Chief Datuk Khalid Abu Bakar said the counters would allow for speedier reporting of such cases without the need for the complainants to queue or wait for numbers to be called up.

The counters would also give priority to senior citizens and the disabled, he added.

"Emergency cases refer to robberies or fightings. Those reporting lost of identification cards, for instance, need to wait their turn," he said in a dialogue session with residents of Taman Muda, Ampang.

"We have imposed a time limit in receiving reports, but it was unsuccessful because we could not determine how many minutes are needed for each report as it varies with each case," he said.

He added that the special counters would only be available in major police stations and district police headquarters as they had more space compared to community police stations. - Bernama