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WHO IS EMPOWER?

As EMPOWER, we undertake work for the advancement and full realisation of women’s rights in all spheres. We believe that gender equality is a pre-requisite for justice and a vibrant democracy. Our work is centred on feminist and human rights principles. We are a non-profit, non-partisan, women's rights organisation.

BRIEF HISTORY

EMPOWER is a small NGO established in 2008 (under the Societies Act 1966) in the state of Selangor, Malaysia with a mission to advance women’s political equality towards justice and democracy based on feminist and universal human rights principles. We work with women and youth of diverse communities to build their leadership potential and transform cultures and mindsets towards dismantling power structures that reinforce patriarchy and inequalities. We have a small membership of about 20 people. We collaborate with other feminist organisations through coalitions like the Joint Action Group on Gender Equality (JAG) and the CEDAW action group, to drive gender equality through multiple advocacy platforms. However, our core purpose is to enhance women’s participation in politics as a key plank in dismantling patriarchy and driving towards gender equality.

VISION

A society where there is equality and a thriving democracy that respects diversity.

MISSION

As EMPOWER, we advance women’s political equality towards justice and democracy centred on feminist and human rights principles. We work with women and youth of diverse communities to build their leadership potential and transform cultures and mindsets towards dismantling power structures that reinforce inequalities. Through advocacy, capacity building, research and resource development, we identify strategic connections between issues, actors and movements from local to international levels.

VALUE STATEMENT

Every women should be able to exercise her agency which enables her power to decide, thus leading to an inclusive, democratic and diverse society.

We Work With EMPOWER is always open to collaborating or partnering with organisations and agencies that are advocates for women’s rights, development justice, good governance and democracy.

We work with:

• Women’s Rights Organisations

• Regional and Global Civil Society and Women’s Rights Organisations and Networks

• United Nations Treaty Bodies, Special Procedures and Mandate Holders

• Labour and Trade Unions

• National Human Rights Institutions

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

PRESIDENT Mohd Rizal bin Rozhan

TREASURER Chan Seong Foong

SECRETARY Sujatra Jayaraj

COMMITTEE MEMBERS Hariati Kesuma binti Azizan

Rusni binti Tajari

Anne Lim

INTERNAL AUDITOR: Charles Tan Keng Lock

OFFICE TEAM

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Gopalan-K Papachan

PROGRAMME OFFICER

Ayesha Sofia Mohd Faiz

ADMIN AND FINANCE

Leong Mei Yun (Finance)

Siti Nor binti Yatim Mustafa (Administration)

SOCIAL MEDIA

Divakaran Prabhakaran

We believe that gender equality is important in achieving a thriving democracy. EMPOWER’s two primary thrusts are:

1. WOMEN’S POLITICAL PARTICIPATION

EMPOWER believes that women’s political participation (WPP) is a prerequisite for the full realisation of women’s rights in both the public and private spheres. In a functioning democracy, WPP allows for women’s direct engagement in public decision-making and is a means of ensuring better accountability to women by the State and Non-State actors.

As the 2011 UN General Assembly resolution on women’s political participation notes, “Women in every part of the world continue to be largely marginalized from the political sphere, often as a result of discriminatory laws, practices, attitudes and gender stereotypes, low levels of education, lack of access to health care and the disproportionate effect of poverty on women.”

2023 WOMEN’S POLITICAL PARTICIPATION WORKSHOPS

In 2023, Empower is working towards increasing women’s political participation especially for women from marginalised communities through a series of workshops that aims to encourage participants to engage in conversations, debates and exercises in order to expose them to the key themes, processes and understanding of women’s rights and how they can be more politically empowered. Do check out our full writeup on our 2023 WPP workshops here.

Our work in this area includes undertaking activities and projects such as


 * actively encouraging the participation of young women from diverse backgrounds and identities to be engaged in the promotion of WPP
 * development of campaign/education materials on WPP
 * active engagement with key stakeholders on this issue such as parliamentarians, media etc in the electoral reform processes
 * increasing the number of women in decision making positions i.e the 30% critical mass quota
 * other related issues

2. WOMEN’S PARTICIPATION IN DEVELOPMENT

Work undertaken in this area is focused on the promotion of development programmes and agendas that fully realises women’s rights while advancing a just and gender-equitable model of development. All development programmes and agendas undertaken by any State must be centred on human rights standards and norms including the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda

A feminist approach is used to understand and analyse development programmes/agendas. Work undertaken in this area include


 * Understanding the implication of technological advancements, especially of the internet and related technologies on women’s rights (digital rights)
 * Using a feminist perspective in Business and Human Rights and other finance related themes
 * Supporting the participation and voices of communities that are often ignored – the urban poor, the indigenous communities, peoples with disabilities, etc
 * Other issues/themes related to economic, social and cultural rights