The Tragedy of Sex Trafficking: A Study of Vietnamese Women Trafficked into Malaysia for Sex Purposes

Sex trafficking is an abhorrent crime in our contemporary times. Malaysia is currently both a transit and destination country, where women from different countries are trafficked in and out of Malaysia for sex purposes. This article focuses specifically on the trafficking of Vietnamese women into Malaysia. We, the researchers of this paper, interviewed a group of 10 Vietnamese women who were caught in a single police raid at an illegal ‘gambling center’ and placed in a women’s shelter in Kuala Lumpur. While this article explores the tragedy of sex trafficking and the plight of trafficked victims, it also focuses on the politics of the body of the trafficked woman, discussing how the female body has been abused and condemned through manipulation and oppression. This article also reveals how systems of oppression, namely patriarchal cultural practices and gendered discrimination, have helped form a prejudice and suppression of Vietnamese women. Ketu Katrak and Elleke Boehmer’s discussions on the politics of the female body construct the basis of this article’s theoretical framework. At the same time, the literary approach of ‘lived narratives’ offers a unique blend of multiple disciplines of study, including literature, sociology, gender, and politics, to discuss sex trafficking in Malaysia. Overall, this article provides a glimpse into the complex dynamics of sex trafficking in Malaysia.

Conservative Christianity and Intimate Partner Violence in Brazil

Based on empirical research in a women’s shelter in São Paulo, Brazil, this article examines how ‘secular’ professionals and service users negotiate conservative Christian faith, gender roles and domestic violence. The article demonstrates how staff use theological arguments with feminist interpretations of religion, in order to better communicate with abused women of faith. A key finding is that both the religious service users and the ‘secular’ professionals discover it is not religion per se which allows for situations of violence, but rather the patriarchal way in which conservative Christianity is taught in some churches, ultimately functioning as a method of controlling women. Moreover, through feminist consciousness-raising and attention to women’s rights, some abused women of faith find ways of negotiating the violence they experience, leading to an understanding of it as both personal and political.

The Resilience of Unwed Pregnant Teenagers: A Preliminary Survey at Malaysian Women’s Shelter Homes

Unwed pregnant teenagers tend to experience various problems. Apart from that, they also receive negative perception from community. For that reason, most shelters are provided to assist and protect the teenagers involved. However, only those who can adjust to hardships or resilient can survive the worse. This preliminary survey aimed to identify the level of resilience among unwed pregnant teenagers (UPTs). The study involved 34 UPTs from four women’s shelters under the supervision of the government and private organizations in Peninsular Malaysia. The respondents were selected using the purposive sampling technique. This study used a quantitative approach, and the instrument of this study was a questionnaire named Tahap Resilien Remaja (TReR), which was administered based on the Ego-Resiliency Scale (ER89) and Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC). The items in the TReR were validated by five expert evaluators in the psychological and social fields. Study data were analyzed descriptively using Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) Version 25.0. The findings of the study showed that UPTs in women’s shelters had a moderate level of resilience (Mean[M] = 3.40, Standard Deviation [SD] = 1.010). The UPTs in this study showed good progress in the shelters. Therefore, the shelters are expected to maintain and improve the quality of existing services from time to time. Other shelters can also utilize the findings of this study to provide better services to their residents to recover from psychosocial problems resulting from cases of unwed pregnancy.

Should I Stay or Should I Go? Role of Housing in the Decision to Leave Abusive Relationship

This qualitative Action Research explored the role of safe and affordable housing in women's decision to leave an abusive relationship. Six survivors of domestic violence shared the challenges they experienced in searching, obtaining and sustaining alternative accommodation that is safe, permanent and affordable. The research findings indicate many factors may cause women to remain in such a relationship, such as isolation, financial dependency, fear of harm to loved ones and lack of social support. Nonetheless, participants reported unaffordable housing as the primary barrier on their ability to successfully exit the relationship. For many, it was either remaining in the abusive home or forsaking their home to escape abuse which became a critical decision. While women’s shelter may provide immediate safety, effective and holistic housing policy, programs, and services are needed to support women to leave abusive relationships. Increased housing allowance for survivors, more affordable housing stock, public education on domestic violence and employment opportunity may increase women's ability to successfully exit abusive relationship.

Should I Stay or Should I Go? Role of Housing in the Decision to Leave Abusive Relationship

This qualitative Action Research explored the role of safe and affordable housing in women's decision to leave an abusive relationship. Six survivors of domestic violence shared the challenges they experienced in searching, obtaining and sustaining alternative accommodation that is safe, permanent and affordable. The research findings indicate many factors may cause women to remain in such a relationship, such as isolation, financial dependency, fear of harm to loved ones and lack of social support. Nonetheless, participants reported unaffordable housing as the primary barrier on their ability to successfully exit the relationship. For many, it was either remaining in the abusive home or forsaking their home to escape abuse which became a critical decision. While women’s shelter may provide immediate safety, effective and holistic housing policy, programs, and services are needed to support women to leave abusive relationships. Increased housing allowance for survivors, more affordable housing stock, public education on domestic violence and employment opportunity may increase women's ability to successfully exit abusive relationship.

Empowering Through Psychodrama: A Qualitative Study at Domestic Violence Shelters

Psychodrama is a therapeutic method in which the stage is used to enact and reenact life events with the aim of instilling, among other positive changes, hope and empowerment in a wide range of populations suffering from psychological duress. The therapeutic process in psychodrama moves away from the classic treatment of the individual in isolation to treatment of the individual in the context of a group. In domestic violence situations, in which abusive men seek to socially isolate their victims from family and friends, the social support that psychodrama provides can positively influence the psychological health and well-being of the participants. This qualitative study examines the manner in which psychodramatic treatment can empower abused women residing in domestic violence shelters and help them regain control of their lives. An action research study of domestic violence survivors living in a women's shelter in Israel, over a 12-month period, demonstrates the role of psychodrama therapy in promoting the reduction of anxiety, stress, guilt, and self-blame, while reinforcing perceptions of self-worth and confidence. These findings contribute to our understanding of the potential of psychodrama in helping reshape life roles and reframe experiences within a creative process, with the aim of facilitating a transition from powerlessness to powerfulness among vulnerable populations.