Seek to Speak Ain Aissa

Empowering Voices: Essays on Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment from women in Malaysia
In this special episode of Seek to Speak, we celebrate International Women's Day by sharing six essays from the Demi Gadis Creative Writing Competition. The essays, written by emarkable women, explore themes of gender equality, women's empowerment, and societal challenges, offering a deep and thought-provoking look into the diverse experiences and insights of women from different backgrounds.
Healing from Trauma by Chero: Chero recounts a survivor's journey, confronting societal constructs that perpetuate victim-blaming and finding empowerment in reclaiming her voice.Women's Struggles in Palestine by Nur Syariha: Nur Syariha Binti Masri reflects on the challenges faced by Palestinian women, highlighting their resilience and the need for support and empowerment.Traditional Gender Roles by Kheerthana: Kheerthana explores the realities of gender roles in different cultures, including the expectations placed on women in families and the societal norms that perpetuate inequality.Overcoming Societal Pressure by Mireverie: Mireverie's story demonstrates a woman's journey in breaking free from societal expectations, pursuing her own path, and finding self-empowerment through entrepreneurship, travel, and independence.Cultural Expectations and Duties by Puteri Nur: Puteri Nur's essay explores how cultural norms affect gender roles and how these pressures can be confronted and navigated.A Tale of Independence by Ashwini Ravan: Ashwini Ravan highlights the journey of a woman striving to break free from societal molds, embracing her independence, and achieving financial stability through entrepreneurship.Thank you to our volunteers who help voice the wonderful stories of authors, Ayuni, Casadra, Sunitha, Athirah, Li-Wei and Sharon.
For more information about the Demi Gadis competition, check out our socials at: https://www.instagram.com/demi.gadis/
Episode is produced by Renegade Radio.

In part 4 of this Special, you will listen to the final 11 stories that we have on gender equity! Yesssss, we are finally at the finishing line. If this is your first time listening to this special, please don’t forget to check out our episode 1, 2, and 3 to continue being inspired and in awe of the women and girls who shared their stories.
In this episode, we will hear experiences and opinions on equity and how it is different from equality, great observations on gender roles and unfair biases, as well as what we can do to do better. 

💜PART 4 AUTHOR & STORIES💜
1. Sofia A. - Nina
2. Mia - For the next generation
3. Sybil Yasin - Millennial Parents
4. Devy - L'ÉGALITÉ DES SEXES
5. Nufa Zulia - Jangan perkecilkan semangat aku
6. Anonymous- Strong Women
7. Amel - Bravery
8. Aina - Malaysia’s double standard
9. Flower - Women’s Potential
10. Yana Pekabee - Building a Fairer and More Justice Society
11. Tee Ying Yin - An environment that is equal, fair, and just for all

💜 PART 4 VOICE OVER VOLUNTEERS 💜
Ainaa, Aifa, Lingeswary, Celine Tan, Yashwini, Sharon, Vivien Lim Zhi Ling, Hani, Najihah, Eena, Alison

In this International Women’s Day special, we are celebrating the stories and experiences shared by all of you during our KisahKita short story competition with the theme, Embrace Equity. We received 43 entries from women and girls hailing from 10 different states with the youngest being 11 years old and the eldest being 54. We cherish the diversity in these stories they have been such a joy to read, compile and produced. 
In part 3 of this Special, you will listen to 10 stories tackling the issue of gender equity from the perspective of job opportunities and promotion, educational institutions, and family dynamics. Do check out our show notes for the full list of authors and voice-over volunteers for this episode. Do also check Part 1 and Part 2 of this special if you want to keep being inspired by the words and stories of women and girls in Malaysia.
Trigger warning: Stories shared here do touch on themes concerning gender discrimination and bias, schools, at the workplace and on a societal level. 

PART 3 AUTHOR & STORIES
cheekylizzy123 - This is for all the girls who dream Dum-E - The audacity of this womanKita tetap SAMA bersahabat - AMNA NAFISA BINTI SHAIFULa3ruh - let's #EmbraceEquity! #AndEquality!Ahnusha - I am a fearless woman Rheya N - biased education systemsYie - Meet our hero; AyuJanice Lai Yi Xuan - Biases & stereotypesAnonymous - Growing up as a girlTifa Tifalis - Nisha

In this International Women’s Day special, we are celebrating the stories and experiences shared by all of you during our KisahKita short story competition with the theme, Embrace Equity. We received 43 entries from women and girls hailing from 10 different states with the youngest being 11 years old and the eldest being 54. We cherish the diversity in these stories they have been such a joy to read, compile and produced. 
In part 2 of this Special, you will listen to 12 stories ranging from school place discrimination, gender roles, and family dynamics. To find out more about these stories, check out our show notes! Also! Don’t forget to check out Part 1 of this special which we released last Sunday - lots of great stories there too!

PART 2 AUTHOR & STORIES
Aeva Poon - Gender inequality is like folding an angel's wingsPoorni Villai Samy - Nevertheless, she persistedMimi - Punishment should be equalFoxy - Cerita SyaMisya - Embracing equity & breaking the structural barriers Nurul Irdina - Our differences are what distinguish usVV - Girls in STEMAireen - Maia & TobyVivien Lim Zhi Ling - Witnessing InequalityRin - Memperjuangkan hak-hak yang samaSofiya - Don't doubt yourselfMay A. - Juggling many responsibilities

In this International Women’s Day special, we are celebrating the stories and experiences shared by all of you during our KisahKita short story competition with the theme, Embrace Equity. We received 43 entries from women and girls hailing from 10 different states with the youngest being 11 years old and the eldest being 54. We cherish the diversity in these stories they have been such a joy to read, compile and produced. 
In part 1 of this Special, you will listen to 10 stories, 2 of which were written in Malay, and 7 of which were submitted anonymously, touching on issues ranging from workplace discrimination, gender bias in schools, and generational trauma.
PART 1 AUTHOR & STORIES
Ashwinee Rvan Ravindran - Just like youMissdhani - Gender NormsNur Farah Diana Binti Affnininirwandi - Sexual Harassment SurvivorNia - Aireen ZafhiraKitKat - Workplace DiscriminationValkie - Family DynamicsSorrowful Student - Girls in LeadershipIman - Generation GapKris - Adakah ini salah wanita juga?Jananie Chandrarao - Down with the wooden fence
Just a quick trigger warning that the stories shared here do touch on themes concerning gender discrimination, victim blaming, bullying, rape, child marriage, and sexual harassment. Should you find this type of content triggering, please stop now and come back when or if you're ready.
In the meantime, don’t forget to celebrate women everywhere today and continue to #EmbraceEquity. Let’s keep fighting the good fight and champion women together.

The final episode of the season welcomes back our community members discussing Malaysia's biggest speaking fails! Why do we keep joking about rape? What happens when a member of parliament challenged another to a debate? What do we do about religious sensitivities?
Here, we discuss 3 recent speaking fails and deconstruct what happened, why did it happen and what do we do from here. We also provide our views on other speaking fails that did not quite make the list but were worth mentioning.
Speaking fails discussed:
Segment 1: Actor and hosts jokes about a movie rape scene on national television. Who is to blame? Who should be accountable?
Segment 2: Member of parliament in the sitting government challenges an opposition member to a debate on the cabotage policy. Is this a good thing? Do people care?
Segment 3: Locally produced, award-winning whiskey brand name enrages many quarters of society and politicians are quick to respond. What precedent does this set? Are they justified in their reaction?

Bonus lightning round discussion:
1) Lahabau Melaka, let's vote! Misguided use of slang.
2) Communications minister tweets on future video quality. But 1080p already exists?
3) Harassment of a journalist by PAS leaders. Why attack my family and the language I use?