Women’s group launches ‘Sweet 16’ campaign, running throughout October

KUCHING (Oct 15): The Sarawak Women for Women Society (SWWS) has launched the ‘Sweet 16’ campaign, aimed at addressing the issue of child marriage.

According to SWWS vice-president Kim Tan, the organisation seeks to raise awareness of the prevalence of child marriage and advocate for legal reforms.

“We are currently running this campaign in collaboration with What About Kuching (WAK) 2024, in an exhibition entitled ‘The Pen Pal Club’, held at the Kuching Community Social Support Centre, running until Oct 30, from 11am to 6pm daily.

“The campaign hopes to provide accessible resources so as to empower and educate the local community on the issues pertaining to child marriage.

“In this regard, we actively urge policymakers and the relevant authorities to take firm action to address this social issue,” said Tan in a press statement.

For the campaign, SWWS is collaborating with Beci Orpin, a renowned designer, illustrator, and author based in Melbourne, Australia, who is regarded as highly skilled in addressing complex and profound social issues in an approachable manner.

Presented in three languages – English, Bahasa Sarawak, and Mandarin – the campaign focuses on the concept of letter writing, where visitors will have the opportunity to write to authoritative leaders so as to express their concerns and desires for change.

“We invite and encourage students of local schools to participate, demonstrating that their opinions and voices are also valued,” said SWWS in a statement.

It added that the exhibition would serve as an introduction to the ‘art of advocacy’, aimed at educating the public about the importance of engaging with local leaders.

For more information, contact SWWS on 013-804 4285, or visit its social media pages @sweet16swws on Instagram and TikTok.