Culture And Security

In all societies culture is expressed in knowledge, worldviews, beliefs, norms, values, and social relationships (Adger et. Al, 2014). Culture and security is interdependent. “Traditional foundations of security are in reality consequences of a concern with culture and identity, and are a product of social practices reflecting these concerns and their relationship to the politics of security” (Williams, 2007). Cultural practices such as dowry giving, a dominant cultural practice in India have the potential to create perceptions of ownership by a man over his wife. It is argued that such perceptions have been used as justifications for the perpetuation of inequality in gender roles, at times leading to gender-based violence (Brandao, n.d.).

History of Indian diaspora in Malaysia started during British colonial rule where there was mass immigration of Chinese and Indian workers to meet the needs of the colonial economy created by the British (Lahiri, 2008). The bulk of Indians came during British time as plantation workers. As early as 1901, Indians populations was approximately 120,000 and rises to almost 600,000 in 1947 (Khan, 1963). Being engaged in plantation labor, the major chunk of Indian community belonging to the older generation was either illiterate or had very little education as a result of being poor and isolation from contact with the outside world (South East Asia, n.d.). This community has the closest connection to Indian cultural practices and traditions in India thus; Indian women may have experienced some forms of discrimination and mistreatment in the name of cultures which affect their security as human

Women security had been recognized by United Nations as important sector of global policy on peace and security agenda as a result of raising crimes against women during conflict and war. Women and girls presently are protected under Convention of Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) which signifies the importance of gender equality. However, despite this convention and other related conventions, acts of protecting women, violence against women still persists. Indian women in India have suffered from all types of mistreatment under the name of culture and traditions such as ‘dowry deaths’, rape, widow immolation (sati), child marriage, female infanticide and foeticide, forced prostitution including temple prostitution, ‘eve-teasing,’, sexual harassment in public places by lewd remarks, pinching, pawing, etc., and pornography (UNESCO, 1993). Thus, violations of human lives as a result of harmful cultural and traditional practices are a grave human security threat, not because it can induce violence which threatens the stability of the state, but because it is a threat to the dignity of