05/03/2026

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THURSDAY | MAR 5, 2026

LETTERS letters@thesundaily.com

Reclaiming safety in public spaces A S the world marks International Women’s Day 2026 under the theme “Rights. Justice. Action. For All Women and Girls,” we are reminded Discrimination against Women (Cedaw) since 1995, has committed to eliminating discrimination and addressing structural inequalities that expose women to violence. Article 8(2) of the Federal Constitution further prohibits discrimination on the basis of gender. infrastructure. 0 Cultural change that dismantles misogyny and entitlement.

interconnected structural reforms necessary to eliminate discrimination in both public and private spheres. Action, therefore, must be proactive and principled. For all women and girls The phrase “for all women and girls” is deliberate. It includes schoolgirls walking home alone. Young professionals returning late from work. Survivors of domestic violence. Elderly women navigating ageing cities. Women with disabilities who face compounded vulnerabilities. Refugee women rebuilding their lives. For them, safety in public space is not symbolic. It determines whether they can work, study, participate in public life and exercise other rights. The ultimate goal is not the segregation of spaces. It is the transformation of spaces. We envision a Malaysia where no woman calculates her escape route before entering a lift. Where no girl feels compelled to learn self-defence before she learns to drive. Where perpetrators – not potential victims – modify their behaviour out of fear of consequences. That is what “Rights. Justice. Action.”s truly means: 0 Rights – recognising women’s entitlement to safety and dignity. 0 Justice – acknowledging structural inequality and responding proportionately. 0 Action – implementing evidence-based reforms that reduce harm and advance equality. Effective follow-up to Malaysia’s Cedaw review cannot be undertaken in isolation. It requires sustained and meaningful collaboration with all key stakeholders – especially the government, including federal and state authorities, Parliament, enforcement agencies and public institutions – alongside civil society, professional bodies and affected communities. Cedaw follow-up is not merely a reporting exercise. It is a roadmap for national progress. On this International Women’s Day, let us move beyond rhetoric. Let us ensure that safety is not a privilege debated in theory, but a right realised in practice – for all women and girls.

Criminological research consistently shows that offenders select targets based on perceived vulnerability and opportunity. Addressing that perception requires prevention, accountability and social transformation. Action must also be data-driven and inclusive. Proper needs assessments can identify distinct safety concerns faced by women, children, older persons, persons with disabilities – and indeed men – in specific localities. Safety strategies must reflect real risks, not assumptions. Beyond public space safety, Malaysia’s obligations under Cedaw require sustained follow-up to the recommendations issued by the Cedaw Committee. Four priority areas demand focused national attention: First, comprehensive anti-discrimination legislation. Malaysia must strengthen legal protections against discrimination in all spheres, including political leadership and decision-making. The rights and dignity of women deprived of liberty – including conditions of detention and protection from abuse – must also be safeguarded in line with international standards. Second, the elimination of child marriage. Child marriage undermines girls’ rights to education, health and development. Legal reform and harmonisation, coupled with stronger safeguards, are essential to ensure that no girl is married before reaching full maturity and informed consent. Third, addressing female genital mutilation (FGM). The medicalisation of FGM raises serious ethical and human rights concerns. Protecting girls’ bodily integrity requires legal clarity and adherence to medical ethics grounded in the principle of doing no harm. Fourth, protection of refugee women and girls. Refugee women and girls face compounded vulnerabilities, including risks of violence, exploitation, detention and barriers to healthcare and education. Policies must incorporate gender-sensitive protections consistent with human rights standards. These are not isolated issues. They are

that gender equality is not an abstract aspira tion. It is measured in lived realities – in whether women and girls can move through their daily lives free from fear, harassment and violence. Few debates illustrate this more clearly than the discussion around women-only parking bays and other gender-responsive safety measures. At first glance, the issue appears to concern fairness: If women have designated parking areas for safety, should men not have the same? But the call of International Women’s Day (March 8) is not for superficial symmetry. It is for rights grounded in reality, justice rooted in facts and action guided by evidence. Rights: Freedom from gender-based violence At the heart of this debate is a fundamental right – the right to security and freedom from violence. For women in Malaysia, this right has been shaped by painful history. The abduction, rape and murder of Canny Ong from a parking area, and the killing of Suzaily Mukhtar after being taken from public transport, remain stark reminders that public spaces can become sites of gendered violence. These women were not randomly selected. They were targeted as women. Gender-based violence is rooted in structural power imbalances. Perpetrators often perceive women as physically more vulnerable and easier to overpower. Even Ong, a taekwondo black belt, was overpowered by a man armed with a weapon. The issue was never her capability – it was the imbalance of power. Today, women and girls continue to experience stalking, harassment and sexual violence in public spaces. While stalking has now been criminalised under the Penal Code, reports persist. Many women know the instinctive fear of walking alone in a dimly lit car park, keys clenched between their fingers in improvised defence. For some, that vigilance began in childhood. Malaysia, as a state party to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of

Rights, therefore, must respond to lived realities – not abstract notions of sameness. Justice: Equality is not sameness Justice requires fairness grounded in evidence. When some argue that men should also have “protected” parking zones in the name of equality, we must ask: Are men systematically stalked, abducted or sexually assaulted from parking areas because they are men? Do statistics demonstrate comparable patterns of gender-based targeting? Men do experience crime. However, when men are targeted, it is generally not because of their gender. The tragic abduction and murder of Kevin Morais, for example, was linked to his professional role, not his identity as a man. The motives and risk patterns differ. Human rights law recognises this distinction. Temporary special measures – such as women-only parking bays or train coaches – are legitimate tools to address entrenched disadvantage. They are not privileges. They are harm-reduction strategies aimed at accelerating substantive equality. Treating unequal situations identically does not produce justice. It entrenches inequality. For many women, safety in public space is not the default. Vigilance is. Action: From interim safeguards to structural reform Women-only parking bays are not the end goal. They are interim safeguards – temporary measures intended to reduce risk while deeper reforms take shape. Real transformation requires structural change: 0 Effective investigation and prosecution of offenders. 0 Accountability mechanisms that deter repeat violence. 0 Urban planning informed by crime statistics and safety audits. 0 Well-lit, monitored and accessible

Melissa Mohd Akhir Suhakam commissioner

Education retains its importance in the Malaysian landscape for parents, students and stakeholders. The changes are fast paced with new developments in new fields of study such as cybersecurity, data protection, augmented and virtual reality, machine learning in education, digital education and artificial Intelligence. Leading the way are universities, who are invited to showcase their latest programmes, curriculum and content in our Education Focus for 2026.

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