Speaking at the Women’s Tribunal Malaysia held online today, Heisoo Shin, the vice-chair of the UN Committee on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights, said the country had yet to ratify the International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights (ICESR) 1976, which required state parties to guarantee equal application of social, economic, and cultural rights to both sexes.
In addition, Malaysia has not ratified other covenants such as the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) 1976.
“Therefore, Malaysia should put its efforts into ratifying these covenants, which should be led by women rights activists in Malaysia,” said Shin at the tribunal co-organised by Joint Action for Gender (JAG) and Engender Consultancy.
The tribunal was also told that indigenous girls and women faced bullying in schools and lacked access to medical care.
Numerous accounts were shared by the organisers on the plight of schoolgoing-indigenous children who faced racial bullying, both verbal and physical, in their schools. This led to some of them quitting before they could complete their secondary education.
A few accounts on the plight of indigenous women who faced inadequate healthcare were shared as well.
Agnes Padan, a Sarawakian indigenous healthcare activist, shared the story of how her mother died at the Lawas district hospital in the state 19 years ago after giving birth to her brother due to poor maternity care provided by the hospital.
She subsequently won a suit in 2008 against the doctors, the hospital and the Malaysian government for negligence in providing maternity care for her late mother.
Agnes, in her pre-recorded testimony, also shared about how sick indigenous people were required to undergo treatment at hospitals far away from their villages.
“Indigenous patients who want to get further treatment would have to travel for five to six hours by land to get to a bigger hospital in the nearest city.
“They faced greater hardship during the Covid-19 pandemic as they could not get further treatment due to strict SOPs imposed, as well as the high travelling cost.
“These patients eventually opted not to receive further treatment,” she said.
Another testimony was shared by Mabpung Akup, a 60-year-old breast cancer patient who has faced difficulty getting affordable treatment because she is considered a foreigner just because she did not have an identification card (MyKad).
Her mother could not register her birth as she faced difficulty walking and her father was not around as he was stationed at the border during the Confrontation.
“I was told to wait until I got married before applying for an IC. My husband, who is a Malaysian citizen, helped me to apply for one in 1981. I submitted all the required documents — the birth certificates of my five children and my siblings (who have their own ICs), and my family photo as well.
“And yet, every time I try to get updates on my application, I get unsatisfactory answers. Now, I am 60 years old and my youngest child is aged 30 but I still haven’t got my MyKad,” said Mabpung in her pre-recorded testimony.