MAU Pi Penang 2019: Child Advocacy Workshop was organised by DISTED Psychology Club, in collaboration with Women’s Centre for Change Penang (WCC) and Monsters Among Us: Youth Advocates (MAU).

Mangleswary Subramaniam, a senior social worker from WCC and Nik Shahira, Think Tank officer from MAU co-facilitated the workshop, utilising a slideshow presentation as a visual aid and numerous activities to keep the participants engaged throughout.

The workshop focused on child advocacy from the lens of child sexual abuse (CSA) prevention, covering topics such as definition for child sexual abuse, types of abuse, grooming, preventing abuse by playing one’s role in society, and reporting abuse and accessing help.

There were total of 28 participants from diverse background participated in this collaborative workshop. The event ended with a closing ceremony where DISTED Psychology Club, MAU, and WCC exchanged tokens of appreciation and MAU promoted their following events under MAU Pi Penang 2019.

Overall, the event was a success with participants showing active interest and engagement during the activities, especially during the discussion regarding a few hypothetical scenarios of child sexual abuse. Several issues were highlighted throughout the event, such as the need for sex education, male survivor support, and the youth’s role in preventing child sexual abuse. The workshop served as a solid introduction to CSA prevention.

By Nik Shahira (August 2018 Cohort Representative)