Empowering Bruneian women
Monday, July 14, 2008
THIS is one invitation that should not be missed. Bruneian women have been invited to compete and win the only slot to represent the nation to an all-female team to ski to the South Pole next year. To be made up by representatives from Cyprus, Ghana, India, Singapore, Brunei Darussalam, New Zealand, Jamaica and the United Kingdom, the team will ski more than 500 miles across the icy wastes of Antarctica to reach the South Pole by January 1, 2010.
The 30 to 50-day journey will involve sleeping in tents on ice in temperatures of -30 degrees C, pulling sledges of food, fuel and equipment weighing 80kg, battling vicious snowstorms and avoiding treacherous crevasses.
The challenges facing this mission will imaginably be abundant.
However, expedition leader Felicity Aston has assured the Bruneian women by saying that they were not necessarily looking for "super-human athletes" for the mission.
"What is really important is the determination to succeed and a passion for adventure."
Hopefully, this will be more of a regular event and will help spread the message that Bruneian women are strong and ready to take up challenges not only for South Pole missions but for life in general.
Hopefully, this event will be one amongst many other programmes that empower Bruneian women, especially those who come from the so-called "dysfunctional families" or have been exposed to abuse in order to stop the vicious cycle of domestic violence.
It is with sadness that we learn that the number of domestic violence cases in Brunei has increased by 264 per cent between the years 2000 and 2007.
The Brunei Times reported that according to the statistics from the Community Development Centre, incidents of domestic violence increased from 81 cases in 2000 to 214 cases last year.
But those who pay attention to the subject knows that for every one case reported to the authorities, there are at least two cases that have gone unreported or are continuing unnoticed. This is because some women choose to suffer in silence or are tortured into silence.
Minister of Health Pehin Dato Hj Suyoi Hj Osman has attributed the persistent scourge of domestic violence to the absence of legislation specifically to address the problem.
So legislations are a needed tool of combat.
Legislation is, however, only one among many important steps that the whole community should undertake.
To the government's credit, there have been efforts to educate the public about domestic violence through various media including the Friday khutbah.
Imams last Friday spoke of the need for authorities on various levels to combat it, adding that if the issue was not addressed, its victims may suffer negative effects, such as emotional stress and neglect.
Family members, neighbours and the surrounding community should act quickly if they learn of domestic violence in their vicinity through words of advice which would show their caring attitudes.
One American Muslim writer Abdul Malik Mujahid wrote thus: "Husband, brother, father. In Islam, these are ties of mercy and love, tempered with justice and right living. Those who use and abuse these relationships out of their own twisted sense of 'honour' must ask themselves, how will they recover their honour before God, in front of Whom we will all stand accountable one day? How can we ever justify domestic violence of any and every kind?"
Violence against women is not an Islamic tradition. In fact, Islam teaches its followers to be kind to women and that the best among men are those who are the best in conduct towards his families.
Violence against women shouldn't be something that is associated with Brunei Darussalam. The fight against it should be a shared burden for every member of the public in this peaceful country.
The 30 to 50-day journey will involve sleeping in tents on ice in temperatures of -30 degrees C, pulling sledges of food, fuel and equipment weighing 80kg, battling vicious snowstorms and avoiding treacherous crevasses.
The challenges facing this mission will imaginably be abundant.
However, expedition leader Felicity Aston has assured the Bruneian women by saying that they were not necessarily looking for "super-human athletes" for the mission.
"What is really important is the determination to succeed and a passion for adventure."
Hopefully, this will be more of a regular event and will help spread the message that Bruneian women are strong and ready to take up challenges not only for South Pole missions but for life in general.
Hopefully, this event will be one amongst many other programmes that empower Bruneian women, especially those who come from the so-called "dysfunctional families" or have been exposed to abuse in order to stop the vicious cycle of domestic violence.
It is with sadness that we learn that the number of domestic violence cases in Brunei has increased by 264 per cent between the years 2000 and 2007.
The Brunei Times reported that according to the statistics from the Community Development Centre, incidents of domestic violence increased from 81 cases in 2000 to 214 cases last year.
But those who pay attention to the subject knows that for every one case reported to the authorities, there are at least two cases that have gone unreported or are continuing unnoticed. This is because some women choose to suffer in silence or are tortured into silence.
Minister of Health Pehin Dato Hj Suyoi Hj Osman has attributed the persistent scourge of domestic violence to the absence of legislation specifically to address the problem.
So legislations are a needed tool of combat.
Legislation is, however, only one among many important steps that the whole community should undertake.
To the government's credit, there have been efforts to educate the public about domestic violence through various media including the Friday khutbah.
Imams last Friday spoke of the need for authorities on various levels to combat it, adding that if the issue was not addressed, its victims may suffer negative effects, such as emotional stress and neglect.
Family members, neighbours and the surrounding community should act quickly if they learn of domestic violence in their vicinity through words of advice which would show their caring attitudes.
One American Muslim writer Abdul Malik Mujahid wrote thus: "Husband, brother, father. In Islam, these are ties of mercy and love, tempered with justice and right living. Those who use and abuse these relationships out of their own twisted sense of 'honour' must ask themselves, how will they recover their honour before God, in front of Whom we will all stand accountable one day? How can we ever justify domestic violence of any and every kind?"
Violence against women is not an Islamic tradition. In fact, Islam teaches its followers to be kind to women and that the best among men are those who are the best in conduct towards his families.
Violence against women shouldn't be something that is associated with Brunei Darussalam. The fight against it should be a shared burden for every member of the public in this peaceful country.
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