Organise, Mobilise: How Malaysia Outlawed Domestic Violence

While domestic violence is still very much prevalent in society today, I think we at the very least live in a climate where committing violence against your spouse is culturally unacceptable (broadly speaking of course) and completely illegal. But this wasn’t always the case. There was a time, though – not too long ago, in fact – when if a husband were to beat his wife, for example, it would be seen as a private/family matter. Authorities would close an eye or advise the abused spouse to find a way to endure or reconcile. This was the case until the enactment of the Domestic Violence Act of 1994. So, what changed in the 90s? In this episode, we're joined by Betty Yeoh, someone who has been at the forefront of women’s rights activism in Malaysia since the 80s. She’s also one of the founding members of the All Women’s Action Society (AWAM). We talk about how ordinary Malaysians came together and pushed the government back in the day, to outlaw domestic violence. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.