Human rights watchdog Amnesty International (AI) has launched its gender awareness training kit in Bahasa Melayu in a bid promote the subject among the Malaysian grassroot population.

Aimed at human rights educators, NGOs, community groups and teachers, the manual was designed to generate reflection on gender discrimination and how it is linked to violence against women.

"It was developed to assist participants to become gender aware and to take them beyond static awareness to a point of action," said AI executive director Josef Roy Benedict.

He was speaking at the launch of the 76-page training manual in Petaling Jaya yesterday that was attended by some 40 individuals including representatives from women's groups, political parties, government officers and the public.

Language issues

AI member Shannon Shah Sidik, who performed the translations, said that the ideas expounded in the training manual were not wholly Western ideas inapplicable here.

"There are several resources for handling violence against women in Muslim societies taking into account religious and cultural sensitivities," he said.

Another significance of the training manual in the Malay language was that it was able to break down certain terminologies such as 'gender' into colloquial language, added Shannon.

The launch of the manual was held in conjunction with International Women's Day on March 8.