KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia women are again voicing their anger at more local headlines using the word “prostitute” loosely when describing women in the Southeast Asian country. The latest headline in Free Malaysia Today, a top independent publication, reads: “When women prostitute their integrity,” a letter to the publication. But it is receiving the scorn of young university female activists, who tell Bikyanews.com that “enough is enough.” “We have continued to face this kind of attack over and over again,” said Aisha Mohammad, a 21-year-old political science student in Kuala Lumpur. “How much more of this equating and degradation of women using sex and sex terms can we stand for? I don't know, it seems a lot I guess.” The letter is, ironically, written by a woman and discusses integrity of Malaysian women in the public's sphere. The author says, “I think, however, that they [women], and in fact, the whole social justice movement, should devote this day to reflecting on their own abuses of power, hypocrisy and failures to practice what they preach,” in reference to International Women's Day. Sadly for women like Mohammad, this is not the first time sexualized terminology has been used to reference women in the country and the region. The constant bombardment of the sex industry has led to tension and questions over the editorial language being employed. For them, the sex industry is part of the overall business society that the government in Malaysia and elsewhere have developed. “These women, whether they come from Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, are possibly forced into the sex work or are doing it to make money. Using slurs and derogatory language makes them out to be dirty people and that is wrong," interjected Rina Chu, 20. These students, who are part of a growing anti-media community on campus, believe that more efforts need to be made to end what they have dubbed “the sexualization of women and the sex industry." They continued to argue that even if a woman has the agency to use her body for money, it should not mean that she is a “prostitute." “These women are giving a service, and men are paying them to have sex or other things, so this kind of language is horrific and needs to stop," added Chu. The first line of the article has been the most angering, they said. In the report, it begins by saying, “Foreign women are earning quick bucks up to RM30,000 (S$11,978) each in only 20 days by prostituting themselves in Malaysia." This is a red flag, they said. “This is what we are all fighting against. The report makes it seem as though women are the problem, but the reality is that this is the society's problem. Sex workers exist, but they are human beings and not some people to be slurred and thrown under the bus," added Mona Abdallah, also a university student. Their anger foments with each passing day and new headlines across the local media. BN
