Unfair and outraged!!

On the 10th February 2009, our company organized a 1/2 day session on "City survival for women". Only female workers can attend this course.

A very fruitful and very informative session for us urbanites ladies....the talk was given by Capt K Balasupramaniam from MVFRA, site here.

It was really an eye-opening and shocking to see gory pictures of women and children who were raped, sodomized and killed. Most of the cases and pictures shown were those we read in the newspapers. Especially so ...children.

We were told of a pending case where the rapist suspect was given a bail (yes, the sickening law in this country allows bail for non-convicted rapist suspects!!) and since he is now out, he has been terrorizing his child victims. Capt Bala was asking from us ladies to sign his petition to get the Attorney General to put this guy back to jail pending his trials to prevent further interferences and disturbing the child victims. Of course, we all did not hesitate to sign up the petition. Hell, even if he had asked us to do a demonstration, I would gladly go!! His target was over 1000 signatures...only women signatures.

How comforting it was to read the news article in the Star that he managed to collect 1,279 signatures. Well, let's hope the AG is serious in honouring his words......

The Star's article dated 17 February 2009:
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A-G shocked over claims in memo

PUTRAJAYA: Attorney-General Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail has directed his officers to look into allegations in a memorandum that an investigating officer failed to attend a rape trial and that the accused, who is out on bail, is harassing his underage victims.

“The A-G has expressed shock over the claims in the memorandum, especially those involving the Investigating Officer (IO) and promises to look into the matter as well as ensure that the trial runs smoothly after this,” said Mohamad Amsyari Mohamad Suhaimi, the chambers’ public relations officer.
Mohamad Amsyari, who took the memorandum up to Abdul Gani at 10.40am yesterday, returned 30 minutes later.

He said Abdul Gani had to leave for another engagement but had read the memorandum and told the prosecution division to look into the matter.
The memorandum carried the signatures of 1,279 women. It was submitted by K. Balasupramaniam, a social safety activist who is helping the victims’ parents, Com­munity Care Network representatives Michael Chang and Anita Lim and the parents of the two sisters and a cousin – aged 10, 12 and 13.

Balasupramaniam said the 2006 case had been postponed in January last year because the IO and interpreter were absent; in August because the medical report was not ready and the IO was absent, and in December as the IO was absent.

“The parents lodged a police report after they managed to record a telephone conversation between the suspect and the eldest victim,” he told reporters at the Chambers lobby.

Balasupramaniam said the man had asked the girl to say “I have forgotten” to any question asked of her in court, as well as to coax her sister to do the same for “ rewards".

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On the issue of children as rape victims, Capt Bala told us this true incident. He said alot of parents have this tendency of telling their children to call their genitals as ~ pipi, winie, bird, kuku, etc etc. One child rape victim aged 5 years old gave her testimony in court saying "ular masuk dalam weewee adik". She was relating the penetration incident. She knew the rapist. He was the uncle. The court found this testimony as inadmissible in court. Yes, indeed it was cruel but the court wanted to hear facts, not fairy tale stories.

Fortunately, after going through some innovative ways and not forgetting court time delays, it was later evidenced out in court the detailed descriptions based on the poor child's understanding on what ular and weewee meant to her interpretation.

Morale of this case study: DO NOT teach your children to call their genital parts using fancy names. They have to be taught the exact words...no matter how young they are.