Independent bookshops

i think bookshops and libraries are storehouse of knowledge I like browsing at independent bookshops like Areca bookstore,Silverfish and Gerakbudaya for they sell non mainstream books. For International Womens Day,I attended an event at Gerakbudaya bookshop.It featured a talk show by the translator of Malay author Fatimah Busu's short stories; Pauline Fan and two Malay writers.Im impressed by Paulines Fans bilingual mastery of English and Malay as she switched effortlessly between speaking in both languages.Kudos to non Malay Malaysians who have indepth knowledge and passion for Malay culture from Eddin Khoo of Pusaka for his preservation of Wayang kulit and Mak Yong to Sunetra Fernando and Jillian Ooi gamelan troupe Rhythm in Bronze. Its good to see how Grassroot activists are working in NGOs to secure the rights of refugees n stateless children,abused women and children who are victims of sexual abuse.The government should engage with these NGOs when reforming state policies as they have firsthand experience of these issues.Im proud of our young female activists fight against period poverty to child sexual grooming Engage Media made two short movies showcasing the digital rights of social media users.They are bringing awareness of issues like cyberbullying,sexual grooming of underaged kids and slander n misinformation on the net.Great job that they are going to schools and educational institutes to inform the young not to be exploited on the internet.Sex education starts from home and open minded discussions can prevent tragedies from happening .Asian society taboo on talk on sex education will harm the children.im horrified by the case in the news of a grandfather who raped his granddaughter from the age of 5.She is 10 years old now before the abuse came to light.This tragedy is not the fault of the poor child but parents who trust family members too much.im in full support of reform of laws to act swiftly to punish offenders for their deviant perverted acts.just look at the case in France where a French surgeon raped hundreds of sedated patients and even his sons young friends.look at the case of the French husband who drugged his wife and invited hundreds of strangers to gang rape her This is vile.Imagine this happening in the land that honoured the Lady of Liberty holding a torch to enlighten women empowerment.

. The state must act to deter future abuse of women and children.