Greetings from Women’s Aid Organisation (WAO), Malaysia’s leading domestic violence shelter, reintegration and case management service provider.

In March 2015, we put out a call for volunteers to join our volunteer para-counsellor training programme to equip them with the skills to operate the WAO Hotline.

Forty-two participants have graduated from this programme and they have officially started their role as para-counsellors.

The Hotline is the first point of contact that WAO has with a majority of victim-survivors. Upon receiving a Hotline call, para-counsellors not only conduct risk and needs assessments, but provide psychological first aid to women in crisis as well.

With this added capacity, starting in January this year, WAO is extending our Hotline operating hours from just 9am to 5pm on Mondays through Saturdays, to include 7pm to 10pm on Tuesdays, Wednesday and Fridays.

We eventually aim to operate 24 hours a day.

This is the WAO Hotline information for those in need to access:

  • Women’s Aid Organisation (WAO) Hotline: 03-7956 3488
  • Service Hours: Monday to Saturday, 9am to 5pm
  • Extended Hours: Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays, from 7pm to 10pm
  • SMS: Tina at 018-988 8058
We are thrilled that members of the community have stood up to help end domestic violence. But to ensure these volunteers’ efforts make a difference, we need our new operating hours to be publicised as much as possible.

According to a 2014 Universiti Sains Malaysia study, nine percent of ever-partnered women in Peninsular Malaysia have experienced domestic violence in their lifetime. This means more than 800,000 women in Malaysia have likely experienced abuse!

SUMITRA VISVANATHAN is executive director of the Women’s Aid Organisation (WAO).