A Malaysian woman minister sparked outrage after she advised husbands to “gently” beat their “stubborn” wives to discipline them for “unruly” behaviour, according to the Daily Mail.
The Deputy Minister for Women, Family, and Community Development, Siti Zailah Mohd Yusoff, has been accused of “normalising” domestic violence by encouraging men to strike their wives to demonstrate how strict he is and “how much he wants her to change.”
The Deputy Minister first advised husbands to “discipline” their “stubborn” wives by speaking to them in a two-minute Instagram video titled “Mother’s Tips.” However, if they do not change their behaviour, they should sleep separately from them for three days, according to the report.
“However, if the wife still refuses to take the advice, or change her behaviour after the sleeping separation, then the husbands can try the physical touch approach, by striking her gently, to show his strictness and how much he wants her to change,” Siti Zailah said in the video, Daily Mail reported.
In order to win over their partners, the Deputy Minister, who is also an MP for the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party, advised women to only speak to their husbands if they have permission.
“Speak to your husbands when they are calm, finished eating, have prayed and are relaxed,” she said. “When we want to speak, ask for permission first.”
The Joint Action Group for Gender Equality, a coalition of women’s rights organisations, accused Siti Zailah of “normalising” domestic violence and demanded that she resign from her position.
“The Deputy Minister must resign for normalising domestic violence, which is a crime in Malaysia, as well as for perpetuating ideas and behaviours that are anti-gender equality,” the report said in a joint statement.
According to the organisation, there were 9,015 police reports on domestic violence between 2020 and 2021, and those figures are likely to be higher because they do not include women who reported abuse to charities.
