In the midst of the tyrannical lock down imposed across the worldowing to the coronavirus pandemic, love, dating and family life are goingthrough some serious changes. On social media, there have been conversations about howthe situation we are in, could possibly lead to a surge of ¡®quaranteens¡¯ by the year 2033; others point out the possible increase in divorce rates among couples, owing to spending an inordinate amount of time with one another.
Amid this scenario of altering family life, the Malaysian women¡¯s ministry went out of line with one of their (unnecessary) lockdown advisories.
Malaysia¡¯s women¡¯s affairs ministry issued advice on how toavoid domestic conflicts during the partial lockdown, which began on March 18,with a series of online posters with the hashtag translating as#WomenPreventCOVID19.
One of the campaign posters depicted a man sitting on a sofaand asked women to refrain from being 'sarcastic' if they needed help withhousehold chores.
'Avoid nagging your husband', another poster said; it recommended the use of humour or imitating the infantile voice of Doraemon - a blue robot cat from Japanthat is hugely popular across Asia.
The posters immediately drew criticism from activists andcommenters alike. While, speaking to an international news agency, NishaSabanayagam with All Women¡¯s Action Society, a Malaysian advocacy group, saidthat it was extremely condescending both to women and men.
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Another poster advised women to wear makeup and dress neatlywhen they were working from home.
Rosana Isa, executive director of civil society organizationSisters in Islam, told Arab News the posters were inappropriate, creating theimpression that wives must please their husbands.
¡°It reinforces negative gender stereotypes against women andmen, as it implies that women are the only ones responsible for house choreswhereas the burden of housework should be shared by both husband and wife,¡± Isasaid.
The posters, uploaded on Facebook and Instagram, drewwidespread ridicule online with social media users urging the government toremove them.
'How did we go from preventing baby dumping, fightingdomestic violence to some sad variant of the Obedient Wives Club?' Twitter user@yinshaoloong wrote. 'No tips on how to deal with domestic violence?' askedanother user @honeyean.
After a volley of criticisms, the ministry was forced totake down the posters and issue an apology in the public interest. ¡°We apologise ifsome of the tips we shared were inappropriate and touched on the sensitivitiesof some parties,¡± the ministry¡¯s women development department said in astatement.
According to Reuters, a government hotline that helpsdomestic abuse victims and vulnerable children have received nearly 2,000 calls- more than double the usual numbers - since the start of the partiallockdown, local media reported.