This article first appeared in Options, The Edge Malaysia Weekly on August 10, 2020 - August 16, 2020

With Covid-19 shedding light on rising cases of domestic abuse, Mae Chan speaks to Sarawak Women for Women Society president Margaret Bedus, who sees no respite in pushing for the rights and safety of women and children

If there is one word to describe Margaret Bedus, “steadfast” may be it. She taught home science and English for almost 34 years at St Teresa’s in Kuching, one of Malaysia’s oldest and most established mission schools.

Margaret’s remarkable tenure attests to a dedication rarely seen today, and one would think that a well-earned, leisurely retirement would be on the cards after she closes her books. Instead, the 65-year-old mother of two has devoted her time to another role, that of championing the rights and safety of women and children.

Not quite the full-time housewife that she humbly refers to herself as, Margaret is president of the Sarawak Women for Women Society (SWWS), a position she has held since 2000. But she has been with the non-profit organisation far longer — 35 years to be exact — having joined as a pioneering member in 1985, barely a year after its inception.

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