KUALA LUMPUR, March 7 — Women’s advocacy group Women’s March Malaysia had its first physical meeting in two years with a picnic protest yesterday at Taman Tasik Jaya.
Close to 200 members in attendance stood in solidarity for a fair Malaysia with the theme: ‘Rise: Resist a nod towards perseverance and commitment to speak the truth’.
“The Women’s March Malaysia picnic protest is a reclamation of space and an acknowledgment that rest is a form of resistance, and a right of oppressed genders and sexual identities to rest despite constantly having to fight for equality and freedom of expression,” it said in a statement today.
The group made nine demands with the government to achieve equal rights.
They include ensuring the right to bodily autonomy and freedom of choice, equal pay for work of equal value, a ban on child marriage, declaring a climate crisis and formulating a national plan to mitigate it, equal political participation of oppressed genders and sexual identities at all levels, establishing and ensuring accessible and safer spaces for oppressed gender and sexual identities offline and online.
In addition, it also asked for legislative reform to realise gender equality, prioritise gender mainstreaming in healthcare and lastly to end all forms of violence based on gender and sexual identities.
“Until and unless these nine demands are achieved, the government will remain at odds with its international obligations and in its commitment as a member to the United Nations Human Rights Council. And, until and unless these demands are met, we will continue to rise and resist!,” they added.
Last year, the protest was done virtually.
