‘Domestic violence victims have the right to protection order’

The Star

Published: Friday August 16, 2013 MYT 12:00:00 AM
Updated: Friday August 16, 2013 MYT 11:52:34 AM

Reports by LEE YEN MUN, LOH FOON FONG, TAN SIN CHOW and M. SIVANANTHA SHARMA

(By LOH FOON FONG)

PETALING JAYA: Police, welfare officers and NGO representatives must inform victims of domestic violence of their right to an interim protection order (IPO), says the Women’s Aid Organisation (WAO).

WAO executive director Ivy Josiah said that despite all the advocacy work done, victims still complained that the police tended to treat such cases as domestic issues and not give protection to them when police reports were made.

“Not all officers give information on the IPO,” she said in a telephone interview yesterday.

On Wednesday, two footages of women being severely beaten up, one by her husband and the other by her ex-boyfriend, went viral on Facebook.

Josiah said the protocol on how the IPO was served should be changed, adding that the IPO should be served to the perpetrator in court.

“If the alleged perpetrator does not turn up in court, the court could subpoena for him to be arrested,” she said, adding that the couple could then go through mandatory marriage counselling.

Currently, she said the IPO was served directly by hand or by post and no one would know if he had received it or understood its meaning.

She said the women’s groups also wanted the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry to hold regular meetings to address domestic violence issues and carry out reviews on the Domestic Violence Act for it to be more effective.

Empower executive director Maria Chin Abdullah said the police should treat domestic violence as a criminal case and not just a domestic issue.

“They need to be sensitive to these issues and not just turn victims away,” she said.

Maria said no one deserved to be beaten, regardless of the severity of the issues between couples such as extramarital affairs. “They should sort out their issues without resorting to violence.”

Wanita Barisan Nasional chief Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil said she viewed domestic violence seriously and felt that the court should impose a heavy sentence to ensure that it did not become widespread.

“As a woman and wife, I regret to see the two victims being excessively beaten until it caused public anger, especially among women throughout the country,” she said in a statement yesterday.

Domestic violence on the rise, says minister

PUTRAJAYA: A woman being beaten up in a private hospital lift in Penang is just one of many domestic violence cases in the country.

From January to April last year, 991 domestic violence reports were lodged with the police, of which 715 involved female victims.

“For the corresponding period of this year, the number rose to 1,353,” said Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Rohani Abdul Karim. Of this, 998 cases involved female victims.

“Women are not the only victims of domestic violence, and the Domestic Violence Act (1994) covers all members of a household who may be affected by domestic violence,” she said yesterday.

“The ministry has also frequently introduced improvisations to the Act, such as an amendment made last year, which highlighted emotional abuse.”

On the case of the woman who was savagely beaten by her husband in the lift on Monday, Rohani said she had obtained an interim personal protection order against her husband yesterday.

“The order will be in effect until the case is solved by the police,” she said.

Rohani added that the victim and her two children, aged four and five, would be placed in a safe place away from her husband.

“If there is anyone who knows of any case of domestic violence but does not want to get directly involved, call Talian Nur 15999 and we will come to the aid of the victims,” she said.

Man in lift assault case held

36-year-old civil servant turns himself in to police in Kuantan

GEORGE TOWN: Police have arrested the man who went missing after beating up his wife in a lift at a private hospital in Bandar Perda, Seberang Prai.

Penang CID chief Senior Asst Comm Mazlan Kesah said the 36-year-old civil servant surrendered in Kuantan, Pahang, at about 4.45pm yesterday.

“Arrangements have been made to bring him back here. We need to record his statement,” he said yesterday.

The 36-year-old victim, who has been granted an interim protection order, said yesterday that she was determined to divorce her husband and had appointed a lawyer for the case in the Syariah Court.

“I controlled my feelings all this while after he took a second wife. I took care of all the household expenditure and he only sent a small amount of money for our children,” said the woman who has been married to the man for 12 years.

They have three children - two boys aged nine and four and a five-year-old girl.

The woman said her husband’s family knew of their domestic problem and was supportive of whatever decision she made. It was reported yesterday that the husband works in Jerantut, Pahang.

SAC Mazlan, meanwhile, told reporters in Permatang Pauh earlier in the day that the police were investigating the case under Section 323 of the Penal Code for voluntarily causing hurt which carries a maximum one-year jail term or a fine or both upon conviction.

A video of the man beating his wife went viral on Facebook after it was uploaded on Tuesday.

The 140-second video showed the man assaulting his wife in front of their two young children in the lift on Monday. The beating was so vicious that the woman’s tudung came off.

The victim, a factory worker, later received outpatient treatment at the same hospital for head, wrist and body injuries.

The couple had gone to the hospital to visit their youngest son who had been admitted for high fever.

Meanwhile, Penang Social Welfare Depart­ment director Zulkefli Ismail said the department would provide counselling to the woman and her children.

“We will also assist the victim in protecting her rights and that of her children when the case is referred to the Syariah Court,” he said after handing over the interim protection order to the woman at her house in Mengkuang in Bukit Mertajam.

Zulkefli said the order was issued under Section 4B of the Domestic Violence Act 1994 for the victim to be protected until the case is settled in court.

He said the department would monitor the victim’s house until the case is finalised and that action would be taken against her husband if he tries to abuse her.

Meanwhile, the man could have landed himself in more trouble than he had bargained for.

Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Dr Ali Hamsa said in Sepang that the civil servant could face disciplinary action if found guilty.

“We will take appropriate action once the police complete their investigation,” he told reporters after a gathering with the Selangor and Federal Territory Orang Asli community at the Sungai Melut Orang Asli village.