As women's groups around the world celebrate International Women's Day tomorrow by asserting women's social and political rights, a local non-governmental organisation will be focusing on eliminating rape as society's responsibility.

All Women's Action Society (Awam) vice-president Manohari Subramaniam today told malaysiakini that in order to establish a violence-free community, all sections of society must come together to combat rape.

"This entails educating not only the public but all service providers such as the police, hospital personnel, welfare officers and families involved in helping victims of rape," said Manohari.

"There are gaps between and within agencies which we need to bridge through our gender-sensitive awareness programmes," she added.

Awam will launch an Information Kit Against Rape, which will be distributed to the public on Saturday at the Amcorp Mall, Petaling Jaya.

The event, which will see the participation of a group of men who are registering their support for the call for tougher laws and better services to rape victims, will be officiated by Women and Family Development Minister Shahrizat Abdul Jalil.

Tomorrow, Awam will present a study on preliminary findings of gender-sensitive and gender advertisements in the media.

Universiti Sains Malaysia lecturer and well-known activist on women's issues Dr Rohana Ariffin said that the one-year study of print, electronic and audio-visual media, is aimed at revealing the various ranges of stereotyping women in the media.

"The kind of stereotyping ranges from portrayal of women in traditional roles, neutral portrayal of women where no role is advocated and positive portrayal, where women are shown bringing about change," she said.

She added that the study had monitored several newspapers, magazines and television programmes and focused on a certain range of products.

Women's work unrecognised

Meanwhile, Women's Aid Organisation (WAO) communications officer Jacklyn Kee said that her group would like to celebrate this year's IWD in recognition and appreciation of the women who are anonymous, largely unpaid or underpaid workers in the home.

"There is a huge workforce world that goes largely unrecognised in society in its understanding of economically valuable work as it has become a common stereotype that it is the women's duty, indeed prerogative, to be the housekeeper," said Kee.

"Indubitably, these efforts are probably performed with willingness, love and perhaps even with help, but this does not mean that they should remain under a thick layer of dusty assumptions," she added.

Kee said that undervalued work should be re-examined from a perspective separated from that of antiquated 'family values'.

"Respect for women's work should be equally extended to the work in the homes. More importantly men, too, should start shouldering this work," she said.

"Only with recognition can equality begin, and with that, enough empowerment to be effective in solving the world's social, economic and political problems."