SIROM Safe Mall Survey and SI:15 Years of Soroptimism in Malaysia campaign.
Soroptimist International Region of Malaysia (SIROM) carried out a survey of 59 large shopping malls during the month of July 2006 as part of its “Prevention of Violence Against Women and Children” campaign held in conjunction with the “15 Year of Soroptimism in Malaysia” Programme.
The survey, conducted by Soroptimist members and friends from its clubs in Malaysia covered 59 malls located in KL, Selangor, Kuantan, Penang, Johor Bahru and Miri. The survey on Malls was considered a high priority of the campaign in view of the increasing incidence of violence like assault, rape and snatch theft in malls, as lately as the fatal incident in a mall in Kuantan. As a public area frequented by mostly women and children, malls have also become a place where they are preyed on by unsavoury characters.
SIROM is aware that there are many places where incidents of assault, rape, theft and kidnapping can occur, but as an organization with a small membership we cannot do much about safety in public car parks or public roads or even car parks in private buildings. Hence, SIROM has opted to carry out a survey on safety in shopping malls as a first practical step to create a greater consciousness among the owners, tenants and customers of the need to ensure a more secure environment.
SIROM would like to urge all management of malls, hotels and office buildings to see that their premises, like car parks and lifts are safe for their employees, tenants and all users. It is also important for users’ especially women, to demand for better safety measures from owners and management, if they are found lacking.
Together, we can reduce, if not eliminate all opportunities for incidents of violence to occur, at least, wherever, within our control and capability.
SIROM shall be sending the survey results to the management of the malls surveyed, to advise them on how safety in their malls has been rated. We certainly hope they will not only take note but take immediate action to rectify whatever weaknesses highlighted in the survey. A lot of effort has been taken to conduct the survey, and we hope that with conscious efforts, we will not allow another customer to a mall become a victim of violence.
SIROM launched a year long campaign on “Prevention of Violence Against Women and Children” on 1st April in conjunction with its 15th Anniversary programme. The theme was chosen in view of the increasing violence resulting from crimes like rape, snatch thefts, kidnapping, physical and sexual abuse. SIROM felt that as an organization of professional women, we have a duty and role to do whatever within its capability to help create a safer environment for women and children in particular.
Using the Soroptimist strategy of Awareness, Advocacy and Action, the campaign kicked off with a peace forum dealing with issues of domestic violence, violence and crime in the country and violence in the world where a majority of the victims are women and children.
100,000 pieces of “No War, Only Peace” brochures supporting the KL Declaration to Criminalise War were printed and sent to Soroptimist members worldwide thus creating awareness of the need for humankind to decoy war. The survey targeting “Safety in Malls” is another project of the campaign.
The nest stage of the campaign is the launching of a series of workshops for young children, youths, young mothers and women in general, on different subjects like personal safety awareness, self defence gender sensitization and substance abuse, and nurturing from young.
A public service message campaign on non-violence will also be carried out through the media.
PUAN SRI SIEW YONG GNANALINGAM
President, SIROM
