KUALA LUMPUR - Gender-based violence (GBV) should become less taboo or shameful to be discussed.
That is the message echoed by White Ribbon Campaign ambassadors after the launch of their campaign here on Tuesday.
Cast of Astro Shaw's Riot! Nelissa Nizam spoke on the trauma that she faced when recalling the incident that occurred to her and what it meant for her to speak up and empower others.
"It was difficult to speak up on the topic as today was the first time I had gone through the topic in detail, but this is important for me to speak about. If I was afraid, it would be difficult for others to do the same.
"We should stand together and speak on such things to avoid victim blaming, feeling shameful and such.
"It is important to be highlighted, if we avoid speaking about it, the problems would continue and if we are brave to speak on it maybe it will deter others from doing so," she said in a press conference after the White Ribbon Campaign and Run launch, here, today.
The ambassadors during the press conference featured casts of Astro Shaw's Riot! Nelissa and Sarimah Ibrahim, Malaysian entertainment maestro JJ Fernandez, media practitioner and frequent commentator on Malaysian politics and current affairs Muhammad Iqbal Fatkhi, Suara Rakyat Malaysia (Suaram) Case Management and Campaign Coordinator Wong Yan Ke, and Pestle and Mortar Clothing (PMC) Co-Founder and Chief Vision Officer Hugh Koh.
JJ Fernandez pointed out the wrong perceptions towards the questioning on stories such as what happened to Nelissa.
"When we look at stories like what happened to Nelissa, the question always asked was who did it and why rather than the important questions like what happened to her and how she feels about the situation.
"I do understand that we want justice and to fix things, but we should not focus on the negative aspects and just focus on the mental aspects of the situation," he said.
Sarimah added that the issues were present due to the lack of empathy in society and how society would like to view facts rather than empathetically viewing victims' emotions.
Meanwhile, Iqbal raised a question on what the best action was to take when an individual confided on such matters.
The group unanimously agreed that the best action to take was to show more empathy and listen to the problem because sympathy could lead to guilt.
On another hand, Hugh Koh, when asked about PMC's stance on the topic and how they would be able to portray the message of the White Ribbon Campaign, said that his brand hoped to push the envelope through their 'storytelling brand'.
"When we look at the core of PMC, we are a storytelling brand and we speak to a lot of communities including youth community especially men and we want to use this as a platform to tell these stories.
"When it comes to sexual harassment, especially on GBV, a lot gets swept under the rug.
"At PMC, we are a bit more provocative and we like to push the stories we would like to convey. We hope we can produce such through our partnership with the All Women's Action Society (Awam) and the White Ribbon Campaign," he said.
The White Ribbon Run scheduled to take place on Jan 14, 2024 would be open for all to enjoy and serves as a message towards showing empowerment of men going against violence towards women.