Alice Evans: Malaysian minister sparks outrage for releasing a video entitled ‘Mother’s Tips’ advising husbands to Spank/Beat Unruly Wives

Female Malaysian minister sparks outrage for advising husbands that unruly wives need ‘gentle’ beating

A video posted on Instagram tells men to talk to ‘stubborn wives’, sleep apart, and if that fails, strike them

Siti Zailah Mohd Yusoff, who is the deputy minister for women and family, suggested husbands beat wives ‘gently’ to publish their ‘unruly’ actions

A female Malaysian minister has advised husbands to beat their wives “gently” to discipline them – sparking outrage from campaigners.
Siti Zailah Mohd Yusoff, the deputy minister for women and family, told men they could try the “physical touch approach” to punish women for “unruly” behavior in a two-minute long video on Instagram.
The video, which was titled “Mother’s Tips”, tells husbands to initially speak to “undisciplined and stubborn wives”, but that if the wife does not back down, then they should not share a bed with them.
She said: “However, if the wife still refuses to take the advice, or change her behavior 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.”
The deputy minister, who is an MP for Parti Islam se-Malaysia (Pas), an Islamic party with conservative values, also advised wives on how to keep their husbands happy.
She said: “Speak to your husbands when they are calm, finished eating, have prayed and are relaxed. When we want to speak, ask for permission first.”
Different women’s rights groups came together to urge the minister to step down over her fiercely criticized comments as they warned that the remarks legitimize domestic abuse.
Violence against women should never be promoted or encouraged by governments.
Releasing a statement, the Joint Action Group for Gender Equality (JAG) said: “The deputy minister must step down for normalizing domestic violence, which is a crime in Malaysia as well as for perpetuating ideas and behaviors that are opposed to gender equality.
“During the movement control order period in 2020 and 2021 alone there were 9,015 police reports on domestic violence; these statistics may not include reports received by NGOs and other support organizations.”
The JAG added: “There is often a stigma and fear attached to reporting domestic violence and this is made worse by statements such as those of Siti Zailah”… More