Women’s Aid Organization (WAO) and Yayasan Sime Darby (YSD) hosted a knowledge-sharing and engagement session in conjunction with International Women’s Day 2026 (IWD 2026) on 9 March 2026 at the Kuala Lumpur Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall (KLSCAH).

Held under the IWD 2026 theme, “Rights. Justice. Action. For ALL Women and Girls”, the session — supported by the Government through Belanjawan 2025 — highlighted the importance of strengthening survivor-centred systems and removing barriers to equal access to justice; including discriminatory laws, weak legal protections, and social norms that undermine the rights of women and girls.

The programme also featured the launch of three key initiatives funded via a matching grant under Belanjawan 2025, namely:
● WAO’s latest statistics and report
● A policy brief on Intimate Partner Violence (IPV)
● The “Weh Bro!” video campaign, directed by Khairi Anwar

The event was attended by YBhg. Puan Sri Normah Hashim, YSD Governing Council Member, YB Puan Teresa Kok, Member of Parliament for Seputeh, Puan Lim Yi Wei, State Assemblywoman for Kampung Tunku, Cik Muzdalifah Mohd Nasir, Chief Operating Officer of YSD, alongside Lee Jia Peng, President of WAO and Nazreen Nizam Executive Director of WAO. The programme featured esteemed guest speakers, including ACP Siti Kamsiah, Principal Assistant Director (KPP), D11 (Sexual, Women and Children Investigation Division), Royal Malaysia Police, and Puan Nazare Yusra, Principal Assistant Director, Legal and Enforcement Division, Department of Social Welfare (JKM), who will be a part of our forum discussion.

A key milestone from the session was the launch of WAO’s new policy brief on IPV. As a key step toward stronger policy action, the brief highlights a critical protection gap in the Domestic Violence Act, which currently excludes survivors in non-marital intimate relationships from safeguards such as Emergency and Protection Orders. WAO recommends expanding the Act so that protection is based on risk and harm, rather than marital status, strengthening Malaysia’s overall response to gender-based violence.

Since 2010, YSD has contributed RM9.4 million to support WAO’s mission to protect and empower women and children. As the philanthropic arm of Sime Darby Berhad, SD Guthrie Berhad, and Sime Darby Property Berhad, YSD has enabled WAO to reach nearly 80,000 individuals through awareness programmes, capacity‑building efforts, and gender‑responsive budgeting initiatives.
YSD’s early support strengthened WAO’s Refuge Centre services and trained social workers supporting
survivors. WAO’s trained social workers have assisted an average of 100 women and 120 children each year, helping survivors access essential services and rebuild their lives with safety and dignity.

As WAO’s work evolved, the partnership also supported national level policy and advocacy efforts. In 2017, YSD expanded its support to help WAO deepen engagements with policymakers, ministries, parliamentarians, and civil society coalitions. WAO has since contributed to key reforms and initiatives, including amendments related to the Domestic Violence Act, improvements to the Penal Code, the development of shelter standards, and contributions to the Sexual Harassment Bill and the Anti Stalking Bill, alongside broader efforts to strengthen coordinated support systems for survivors.
 

In the current partnership phase, YSD has committed RM2.4 million to support 10 key positions that anchored WAO’s work across law reform, research, community engagement, and public awareness. This included efforts to strengthen implementation of the Anti Sexual Harassment Act, preparation for rollout of the Anti Stalking Law, support to the Ministry of Health to strengthen domestic violence response within primary healthcare settings, and training of more than 1,000 frontliners annually to enhance
survivor centred systems.
 

Puan Sri Normah Hashim, YSD Governing Council Member said:
“Today’s knowledge-sharing and engagement session serves as an important platform for us to reflect on our progress, exchange meaningful perspectives, and reinforce our collective commitment to addressing gender‑based violence. For YSD, it also reaffirms our 16‑year partnership with WAO and the importance of supporting their efforts to uphold the safety and dignity of survivors while strengthening national policies and systems. As we commemorate International Women’s Day, we are reminded that ending violence against women demands coordination, unwavering commitment, and the collective courage to
act.”

Nazreen Nizam, Executive Director of WAO, said:
“The launches today reflect WAO’s continued commitment to strengthening survivor centred systems through evidence based work. With YSD’s long term support, we have continued to strengthen services for survivors alongside policy, research, and public awareness efforts so that responses to gender based violence are more coordinated, accessible, and effective.