WHAT do I do if someone tries to touch me? What can I say if someone makes comments about my body? What should I do if someone makes me feel unsafe?
These questions and many more are answered in 'What If?', Makchic’s first picture book to educate young children on consent, personal safety, and boundaries.
Written by Makchic managing editor Kimberly Lee and special projects director Liyana Taff, 'What If?' is a child-friendly and child-focused book creatively illustrated by Delia Razak.
The illustrator and visual designer uses her artform as educational tools to simplify heavy topics. 'What If?' features local Malaysian characters from diverse communities and presents easy-to-understand messages on established body safety principles through the use of various scenarios.
Makchic is a Malaysian-based online parenting site that aims to inform, support, and uplift families from all walks of life. Established in 2013, the company has since gone through several organisational changes to be one that is owned and run by mums.
With an Instagram following of nearly 30,000, Makchic uses its platform to encourage discussions on topics usually regarded as taboo, such as sexual harassment and body autonomy.
When asked about the inspiration behind 'What If?', Liyana told The Vibes a particular Sharing Session back in 2019 where Instagram users could share their stories without their identity being exposed publicly.
The session was on the topic of sexual harassment and sexual abuse at a young age. Liyana recounted that most respondents had had at least one or two instances of sexual harassment or abuse when they were younger and were unaware that what had happened to them was wrong.
“Based on the responses we received during that session, we realised that we need to get the message out about sexuality education.
"The reason for writing this book is to allow people within the greater community of Malaysia to gain access to materials to educate their kids about reproduction or how to protect their bodies against people who would do them harm,” Liyana said.
“You’re never too old to learn about these issues,” Kimberly said.
She added that while the target audience of the book is children between the ages of three to eight, older children would be able to benefit from the contents of the book as well. This is especially so if they have never had conversations on the topics.
With the persistent presence of social media in our everyday lives and an increase in online predators, Kimberly and Liyana, both mothers of young children, are aware of the dangers of not talking to your kids about building boundaries.
“Is it a difficult conversation to have? No, I think not, because I’m quite hyper-aware of the effect. If I don’t talk to him now, he’s going to maybe learn something else outside.
"I’d like to help him learn in a way that is safe, age-appropriate, and respectful of others around him,” Kimberly said regarding her son.
“Coming from an Asian society background, you’re taught to ‘jaga adat’ and respect your elders, which are wonderful things about being Asian. But when you’re young and not sure of how to navigate your boundaries being crossed, we’re not taught that we have the right to stand our ground and push back,” she said.
She added that we must be smart about how we parent our youths and teenagers by engaging in discussions with them and impressing upon them the necessity of protecting their privacy while simultaneously supporting their attempts at self-expression.
Kimberly also told The Vibes about how in her household, they call private body parts by their given name instead of using the regular pet names associated with sexual parts to avoid building stigma around something natural.
“It’s important to us that our children can communicate to us if anything happens to a specific area. We want our kids to know that there is nothing wrong or shameful about their bodies,” she said.
As Liyana told The Vibes, another reason they decided to write 'What If?' was because they wanted to encourage conversations to also happen at home and not just at schools.
After their experience of working with SPOT Malaysia on a mother-daughter workshop with high-school students, they witnessed the obvious difference between mothers and daughters who were comfortable talking about topics like periods and puberty and those who were not.
“There was even a girl who started crying because she felt so uncomfortable. And we had a child therapist on hand who suggested for her to write letters to her mother instead if she wasn’t used to talking to her,” Liyana said.
To encourage conversations to happen at home, 'What If?' comes with a discussion guide, conversation prompts, and suggestions of activities parents can do with their children.
They hope that these will help families to get used to talking about sensitive topics, thus ensuring that the conversation line remains open, and children feel safe confiding in their parents.
Kimberly also disclosed that they worked in close contact with Thency Gunasekaran as the consultant for 'What If?' to guarantee that the book’s content is based on body safety principles.
Thency Gunasekaran is a gazetted Assistant Child Protector and children’s rights advocate with 15 years of experience in dealing with children and women’s rights issues. She is also the co-founder of Projek Layang-Layang, an organisation focused on educating the public about child sexual abuse prevention.
Thency explained that it is important for children to practise concepts relating to consent and boundaries. “The reality is: consent is a habit. It’s something that needs to be practised. The sooner we learn to make it a normalised part of our everyday lives, the easier it is when we grow up.
"Imagine only learning about consent as an adult – you would be very confused. 'What if?' provides children with the opportunity to understand consent, and the book’s discussion guide sections prompt parents and caregivers to role-play and discuss different scenarios with the child.”
'What If?' was published through the funds collected by Makchic’s crowdfunding, a campaign that was originally planned to last for a month but was cut short due to enough funds being collected within two weeks.
“We thought the best thing to do would be to reach out to our supporters and followers who understand our journey and have been with us from the very start – people who are passionate about the same topic,” Liyana said. While the book will be in English for this round, they hope to produce translated versions.
"There is starting to be more of an understanding of the need for sexuality education and abuse prevention education, but we're so far from where we need to be. We have a long way to go,” Kimberly remarked.
As the official printing partner, Canon supported the production of the book as part of its Canon Young Readers Programme to inculcate the habit of reading among children. While the programme enters its second year, the leading digital imaging solutions brand focuses on addressing issues among children.
“It may seem trivial, but as a mother myself, I understand the importance of educating our children from a young age about body boundaries, safety, and ways to enforce them. This partnership with Makchic allows Canon to play a role in empowering our children with the knowledge to protect themselves,” said Grace Ong, head of corporate communications at Canon Marketing Malaysia.
Together with Makchic, Canon will be rewarding three lucky winners with a copy of 'What If?' and a Selphy QX10 printer. To participate, the public is invited to leave a comment on the giveaway announcement post with eight words or less, starting with the words “What if?”.
Comments should include the hashtags #MyWhatIfBook and #CanonYoungReadersProgram. The giveaway will run from today (September 28) to October 4 on both Makchic’s Instagram and Facebook channels. – The Vibes, September 28, 2021
Get a copy of 'What If?' on Makchic's LazMall Store for RM39.90. The book is also available at Cziplee Bangsar and Cziplee Johor. For more information, visit https://www.makchic.com/whatif/
