MAPPING THE HELP SEEKING JOURNEYS OF ABUSED WOMEN IN MALAYSIA

SITI NURZULAIKA ROSLANDR. ZURIATUNFADZLIAH SAHDAN

DEPARTMENT OF GEOGRAPHY AND ENVIRONMENT, FACULTY OF HUMAN SCIENCES

UNIVERSITI PENDIDIKAN SULTAN IDRIS

IGEOS

4th IGEOS : International Geography Seminar and PIT IGI 2020

INTRODUCTION & LITERATURE REVIEW

• This study aimed to map the help seeking behaviour of domestic violence

survivors to seek help from the place of origin upon arrival to the shelter.

• Domestic violence has been recognized in Malaysia since the 1960s (Tumin,

2004). However, it was not reported as it was still considered a personal

problem that should not be shared with the community..

• Three objectives in this study are:

Help seeking

behaviourSource of

awareness

The distance

travel by

survivor

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

Data extraction from WAO survivor’s record:

a) Travel distance from the survivors’ place of origin to

shelter

b) Source of awareness according to survivors’ place of

origin

c) Help seeking behaviour from different source of help

providers

Mapping the data by using GIS

Analyse the maps

TRAVEL DISTANCE

• The longest distance is 320km while the nearest distance is 2.7km from the place of origin to the shelter 2016, 2017 and

2018.• The results of GIS analysis show that the

districts of Petaling, Kuala Lumpur and Klang are locations with a high level of

survivor density compared to other district.

• This is not the map of journey but it is the map of distance travel by the

survivor• Why a women could travel this far just to

get protection?

SOURCE OF AWARENESS

Outside West Coast place of origin

(Jerantut, Kuala Muda)

• Police

• Family

West Coast place of origin

(Klang, Petaling Jaya)

• Hospital

• Police

• Legal aid

• NGO

Survivors’ from West Coast can

access to various sources of

awareness in comparison to women

from east coast

HELP SEEKING BEHAVIOUR

Other help providers such as

legal aids, religious institution,

friends are also crucial.

Formal intervention from police

department and hospital as well

as informal intervention from

family are important for many

women who sought help at

WAO shelter.

CONCLUSION• This study dependently from the available data of WAO refuge in the year

2015,2016 and 2017.

• The maps presented in this research does not represent the whole journey

made by survivors.

• The various source of awareness does not guarantee the women to get out

from abuse relationship for good.

• Intervention from police and hospital are the important for all survivors who

sought help from the shelter.

• Shelter provides limited number of place to survivors within three months of

stay (generally). How to ensure abused women in Malaysia can leave

abusive relationship?

REFERENCES[1] Bhushan, K., & Singh, P. (2014). The effect of media on domestic violence

norms: Evidence from India. The Economics of Peace and Security Journal, 9(1).

[2] Bowstead, JC. (2017).Segmented journeys, fragmented lives: Women’s forced

migration to escape domestic violence, Journal of Gender-Based Violence, vol 1,

45–60.

[3] Bowstead, J. C. (2015). Why women’s domestic violence refuges are not local

services. Critical Social Policy, 35(3), 327-349.

[4] Domestic Violence Act 1994 (Malaysia) (19)

[5] Evans, M. A., & Feder, G. S. (2016). Help‐seeking amongst women survivors

of domestic violence: A qualitative study of pathways towards formal and informal

support. Health Expectations, 19(1), 62-73.