GOSSIP

Dalam keadaan kos sara hidup yang semakin meningkat, ramai wanita di Malaysia terus berdepan cabaran untuk memenuhi keperluan asas harian. Program Sumbangan Asas Rahmah (SARA) diperkenalkan sebagai salah satu inisiatif bantuan, tetapi sejauh mana ia benar-benar membantu golongan wanita, khususnya dari segi kestabilan kewangan dan kesejahteraan hidup? Episod ini membincangkan realiti sebenar yang d...

Realiti yang jarang dibincangkan; di sebalik angka ini, ada kisah wanita yang terpaksa memilih antara keperluan asas dan penjagaan diri. Episod ini mengupas isu kemiskinan haid, kesannya terhadap kehidupan harian, dan mengapa ia perlu diberi perhatian sekarang. Nak tahu lebih tentang perbincangan ini? Jom GOSSIP bersama Hafiza 🎧*Statistik didapati dari Women, Family and Community Development Mini...

Bila bincangkan tentang masalah sakit mental di Malaysia, ramai yang ingat beban ini hanyalah beban individu disebabkan masalah peribadi. Apa yang orang ramai tak sedar ialah kebanyakkan masalah yang dihadapi disebabkan oleh sistem sedia ada yang meletakkan tekanan terhadap individu. Sebagai contoh, selepas bersalin, perempuan perlu jaga bayi, susukan bayi tanpa “support system” walaupun badan sen...

Daripada mempelajari cara mengawal emosi mereka, ramai remaja lelaki kini lebih cenderung mengambil nasihat "self-improvement" daripada influencers seperti Andrew Tate, Jordan Peterson, Adin Ross dan DMA Islam. Sesetengah orang mungkin menganggap perkara ini biasa je, tapi benda ini membimbangkan apabila “nasihat” yang diberikan sebenarnya disaluti dengan fahaman misogini dan ideologi ek...

Daripada khabar angin palsu sampailah ke imej yang dimanipulasikan, maklumat salah yang mengancam jantina seseorang memberi impak kepada penyertaan politik wanita dan juga sistem demokrasi itu sendiri.  Terma “Gendered Disinformation” mungkin masih baru bagi ramai orang, tetapi tindakan itu sendiri bukan sesuatu yang asing.  Bila tentera siber, atau lebih dikenali sebagai “cyber troopers” melancar...

Kalau anda pernah tengok atau dengar perbualan tentang penggunaan kontraseptif, memang dah jadi satu kebiasaan yang selalunya, wanita yang aktif secara seksual yang kena ambil pil perancang atau Plan B untuk elak kehamilan.  Tapi macam mana pula dengan lelaki? Selain kondom, ada tak alternatif lain untuk mereka? Dalam perkahwinan pula, siapa yang patut bertanggungjawab dalam hal perancangan keluar...

Moral policing refers to the actions of individuals or institutions forcing others to conform to the dominant culture or beliefs of a society. In Malaysia, this practice has increasingly been carried out by religious authorities. We’ve seen incidents like women being denied entry to police stations for wearing short skirts or religious officers raiding homes to catch couples engaging in “inappropr...

Cyberbullying has become common in today’s digital age that almost everyone has experienced it in some form—even students. It can start with being “cancelled” in a classroom to facing hate on WhatsApp groups, Instagram stories, and other social media platforms. According to UNICEF, cyberbullying can take many forms, including spreading lies, posting embarrassing photos or videos on social media, s...

Caregiving or unpaid care work has often been taken for granted. To some extent, there is now a growing recognition of its value, as seen in initiatives like setting up EPF accounts for homemakers. However, with Malaysia becoming an ageing society, unpaid care work is increasingly carried out by older people for other older people, and by young people for their parents or grandparents. In the case...

For most of us, public interest means the welfare or well-being of the general public and society. However, oftentimes in ensuring that collective needs and values are upheld, the human rights of the individual end up taking a backseat.  To serve the broader community effectively and equitably, shouldn't we shift our focus from public interest vs private interest and really give more attention to...

We acknowledge that the youth are our future but... are we considering their best interests when planning new initiatives and programs? How can we empower our youth effectively? To ensure inclusivity, especially from a gender perspective, we must consider those who are less outspoken and those outside of our usual circles, not just those who are already empowered. This brings us to another questio...

There have been numerous bullying incidents among students, both within and outside learning environments. More often than not, students receive little to no support in dealing with these cases, leading to unfortunate consequences such as students quitting school, particularly those in boarding schools in which many of them come from marginalised communities and challenging family backgrounds. The...

Many of us consider internet access as a utility we consume rather than a human right. Yet, only a fraction understand that our human rights should extend into digital spaces, intercepting into the design and application of digital technology. As our lives, both online and offline intertwine, it becomes crucial to recognise our digital rights as inseparable from our broader human rights framework....

Misogyny is often used as a weapon against women and those who are gender non-conforming, leading to detrimental effects including instances of gender-based violence, both in the real world and in digital spaces. There are often no consequences for such actions, as misogyny is not criminalised in Malaysia and is not recognised as hate speech. In our podcast, we delve into the roots of misogyny, pr...

Late last year, Malaysia had its 15th General Elections after a series of government changes since the pandemic. The stakes were high and the battle for voters was intense. This led to the use of propaganda by various parties to pursue voters, including the propagation of gendered disinformation. There is growing research that shows that women in politics are disproportionately targeted by gendere...

More than just access to government services, every citizens ought to have the right to vote, right to freedom of opinion and expression, right to hold public office, to own land, to public education and to be free from violence and hate. All citizen are equal but is that true for everyone? The LGBTQ+ community in Malaysia continues to face significant challenges, enduring targeted persecution and...

Earlier this year, Malaysia's Cabinet took a significant step by agreeing to amend the Federal Constitution, aiming to grant automatic citizenship to children born overseas to Malaysian mothers married to foreigners. However, this announcement does not mark the finalisation of the process. There are still multiple stages that must be completed before Malaysian mothers can confer citizenship to...

“Cancel culture” is notably one of the most contentious phenomena, and more people are trying to define and understand it. The act of publicly denouncing misconduct or problematic opinions, especially from those who wield power or authority, has long been practiced by society. However, social media has changed how people are able to network and mobilise others to act in solidarity. Many construed...

As a virtual public space, social media has been harnessed by activists to call out patriarchal norms, share rights-based gender content, and build movements for change. It has been regarded as an empowering space for feminist activism. But we see how our online world mirrors the physical world. Women’s visibility and expression on social media are often burdened by the risks of hate and harassmen...

There’s no denying that access to the internet has become essential in our daily lives. Thanks to technology, we are now able to work, shop, communicate and acquire important services remotely and conveniently. Not to mention, technology has also become a crucial enabler for the exercise and enjoyment of many of our human rights, especially our freedom of expression and right to information. When...

The national budget, every year, is a contentious topic for some citizens, primarily the discriminatory allocation of funds in certain departments. But beyond that, it is alarming that many might not know the importance of the national budget as well as its purpose. After all, the budget defines how public funds are raised, how they are utilized, and who benefits from them by tracking where it com...

Year by year, we have seen an increased need to jump onto the digital economy bandwagon in order for businesses to survive and for people to continue their bread and butter lives. This is shown beyond doubt during the pandemic where many businesses were forced to shut down or significantly curtail their operations. The majority of businesses that transitioned to online platforms such as food vendo...

Digitalization and globalization have resulted in significant changes in our way of life and work. For some, this has meant significant improvements in productivity and efficiency. For others, it has meant increased vulnerability and costs. The situation is now made worse because the COVID-19 pandemic has further exacerbated the pre-existing negative impacts of capitalist-driven markets on labour....

Despite the many forms of successes in advancing women's rights and gender equality that has been achieved by the women's rights movement, bodily autonomy still remains elusive for millions of women and girls around the world. According to the UNFPA's 'My Body is My Own' report, nearly half of all women in 57 countries are denied bodily autonomy. In our society, bodily autonomy is regarded as a 'w...

Often wrongly argued as part and parcel of "freedom of expression", online gender-based violence is the systemic tool used in denying the lived realities, identities, and opinions of women and marginalized communities who challenge the dominant status quo. It is an extension of gender-based violence that takes place online, and it is often deliberately weaponized against women's freedom of express...