Women's Aid Organisation (WAO)

Gender-based violence is a public health emergency, especially during COVID-19. The solution enables crisis response and referrals to primary healthcare at the community level. Community advocates are trained, linked and supported through tech, enabling access to support and information for survivors. Data collected drives awareness, reform and stronger state response.

Sumitra Visvanathan, Women's Aid Organisation's Executive Director. Sumitra has led WAO to become Malaysia's foremost advocates and service providers for women survivors of gender-based violence, especially domestic violence.

Crises exacerbate gender-based violence (GBV). At even further risk from GBV during crises are women from marginalised communities -- refugees, urban poor and those living in remote rural locations.

One in 10 women in Malaysia currently are or have previously been in situations of domestic violence. It is a pandemic within a pandemic. We have documented tremendous increase in GBV during COVID-19 pandemic. Our crisis Hotline has seen a spike -- 278% in distress calls and a 116% increase in enquiries related to gender-based violence.

Women survivors of GBV are isolated with their abusers, increased tensions and uncertainty from financial stressors, reduced social support, and a diminished healthcare and justice framework. 

Survivors need access to information and support during a crisis of violence. Escaping abuse, especially domestic violence, depends on the ability to seek and receive support. Some survivors have resorted to sleeping in their cars, and in one instance the survivor was sent back to the abusive home by the police.

There is a clutter of processes and services which are falling short of a systematic and integrated health and justice response for women GBV survivors. Survivors are falling through the cracks and left with nowhere to turn.

1) WAO serves all women and girls survivors of GBV, regardless of status. This comprehensive response is aimed at crisis interventions and follow-up actions for survivors of GBV who are Malaysian, refugee, stateless, asylum-seeking and migrant women; women with disabilities; as well as traditionally marginalised women in remote, rural locations, particularly Orang Asli (indigenous) women.

2) The solution identifies and trains women and women-led networks (Team TINA) to take leadership in their communities and initiate the initial response for women GBV survivors in their locality, especially to local healthcare providers (Kelinik Kesihatan)

3) The solution addresses capacity of local healthcare providers (Kelinik Kesihatian) to recognise, respond and refer survivors of GBV through WAO's GBV learning programs, and establish the linkage to the local Team TINA and WAO.

Ending violence against women and girls is a critical goal. This is a key intended outcome of the SDG goal 5 for gender equality. The public health aspect of GBV is often under recognised, but is a critical part of the response. Below are some key references:

(World Health Organization. (2013). Responding to intimate partner violence and sexual violence against women Who clinical and policy guidelines.https://www.who.int/reproductivehealth/publications/violence/9789241548595/en/)

"Strengthening the Primary Healthcare Response to Domestic Violence", https://wao.org.my/publication...

"Malaysia must track domestic violence prevalence, through the National Health and Morbidity Survey" https://wao.org.my/wp-content/...

1. Providing crisis and reintegration services to survivors of gender-based violence – especially domestic violence.

2. Building capacity of government frontline health officers, organisations, and community members to respond to gender-based violence – through remote/virtual participatory learning.

3. Building capacity of women and girls to take a leading role in the journey towards their own empowerment and resilience to survive violence and abuse

4. Document and publicise learnings of the project, including relating to how to provide services and capacity building during and in the aftermath of a pandemic.

Successful realisation of this solution will look like:

• Women have complete access to health support services, justice, and protection needed for sustainable freedom from gender-based violence and

discrimination, facilitated by a strong legal framework and sensitised state actors;

• There is gender equality in the community, and an environment exists that is conducive to women’s full political, economic, and social participation;

• Cultural norms and mindsets have shifted to embrace gender equal institutions at every level of society, and to reject gender-based violence and discrimination

We aim to further develop our existing M&E framework, based on the Salesforce technology, but acknowledge must assistance is needed for this. Currently, we partner with data experts (like Vase.ai) to survey and collect information. 

WAO's own M&E framework is based on our strategy, and is largely reliant on excel. 

Financial in the main. Technology barriers can be overcome by partnering with experts, for which we do not have the financial capacity. 

None

We are limited by the inability to access to best possible tech and tech development owing the the cost factor. We are confident that we have the core framework and actions needed to drive forward the solution. What we need is financial support and tech guidance to help us move this forward. 

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