A section of the crowd gathered at Friendship Park yesterday for the Peace Walk. — Photos by Tan Song Wei
KUCHING: Members from 28 non-governmental organisations (NGOs), politicians and other members of the public yesterday participated in a Peace Walk calling for urgent amendment to Section 375 of the Penal Code.
This follows the acquittal and discharge of Bunya Jalong, 60, by a unanimous decision of the Court of Appeal, which highlighted the inadequacies of the Penal Code on rape.
“We are here to speak in one voice for the government to amend the Penal Code’s definition of rape,” said Minister of Women, Welfare and Family Development Datuk Fatimah Abdullah.
“Our laws must be there to protect members of our society when they are legally, physically and emotionally incapable of defending themselves. We must not allow another innocent child, girl or boy to be a victim of rape by conniving adults before we act … before the law is amended.”
She urged parliamentarians to echo the call and push for amendment so that there won’t be a repeat of this ‘finger rape’ loophole, which did not constitute ‘penetration’ under the current definition.
“I have written to the Attorney General (AG), but it’s good to create awareness so people can understand the seriousness of this offence. Parliamentarians must speak up in one voice. The urgency is there, before there is another victim.”
Fatimah said the AG would not be reopening the case but agreed that the Penal Code was due for an update.
She added that it was time for the AG’s Chambers and Parliament to look at development of the law in other countries, such as the Sexual Offenses Act 2003, UK, the 1997 Anti-Rape Law of Philippines and the law in France and make urgent and appropriate amendments.
“They have given wider and specific descriptions of what constitutes sexual activities (mode employed, without consent) that are traditionally known as rape and other sex offences, and they used gender neutral terms because we all know that sexual offences are also committed against men and boys.”
The Peace Walk was organised by Sarawak Women for Women Society (SWWS), who would like to see the definition of rape amendment passed in Parliament by the end of this year.
Present were Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) Sarawak chairman Baru Bian, PKR women national vice president Voon Shiak Ni, SUPP’s Sim Kiang Chiok, Padawan Municipal Council (MPP) chairman Lo Khere Chiang, and Sarawak Women for Women Society (SWWS) president Margaret Bedus.
Sign the online petition here: http://www.change.org/p/government-of-malaysia-datuk-seri-najib-tun-razak-hentikan-rogol-stop-raping-our-children.