Malaysian woman minister advises men to 'gently beat stubborn wives' in Instagram video

A female minister in Malaysia has sparked outrage by offering men advice on how to "discipline" wives who display “unruly” behaviour.

Siti Zailah Mohd Yusoff, a member of parliament in Malaysia who serves as the deputy minister for women, family and community development, has been accused of "normalising" domestic violence in the video she posted to her official Instagram page.

In the video, called Mother’s Tips, Yusoff tells husbands to first speak to “undisciplined and stubborn wives” and, if they are not cooperative, to sleep apart from them for three days.

Should the wife not take her husband’s advice, and if her behaviour does not "change" after the three-day period, Yusoff said: "The husband can try the physical touch approach, which is gentle, which is to educate, which is full of love, to show his strictness and how much he wants her to change".

The pandemic has only seen an increase in domestic abuse with a total of 9,015 cases were reported - predominantly against women. This so called ‘advice’ by the deputy minister is a disservice and goes against current realities & needs. https://t.co/QoOd6b0gud Reference tbc 1/3

— Nurul Izzah Anwar 🇲🇾 🌺 (@n_izzah) February 12, 2022

Yusoff, a member of the Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS), additionally advised that women must seek their husbands’ permission to speak, in order to "win them" over. 

Women must only speak to their spouses "when they are calm" and have "finished eating, have prayed and are relaxed", she added.

Several women’s organisations have backed the Joint Action for Gender Equality (JAG)’s call for Yusoff to resign over the video, which they deemed "in support for domestic violence, and accused her of perpetuating behaviours that are opposed to gender inequality."