Rashidah Abdullah

Rashidah is a keen policy-oriented researcher, writer and activist. She has led the conceptualisation, coordination and report writing of a number of national, regional and international research and evaluation projects aimed at programme and policy change to benefit women. These include evaluations of the quality of NGO family planning services (1984) and the national family development programme of KEMAS (1982); the first national Malaysian study on domestic violence by WAO (1990); monitoring regional and country implementation of the Cairo and Beijing UN conferences (1996, 1999 and 2004); women’s access to gender-sensitive health services (2002) and men’s responsibilities in sexual and reproductive health (2003). Rashidah has been a core founder of a number of innovative NGOs, beginning with the Women’s Centre Action Group in Western Australia, which set up Perth’s first feminist refuge for battered women and a feminist women’s health centre in 1974. She is a founder member of Women’s Aid Organisation for battered women in 1981; Sisters in Islam in 1989; the Asian-Pacific Resource and Research Centre for Women (ARROW) in 1993; the Global Forum for Health Research (Geneva) in 1997; and the Reproductive Rights Advocacy Alliance Malaysia (RRAAM) in 2006.

She has also worked with the Community Welfare Department in Australia and Malaysia (KEMAS), the NGO family planning association in Kelantan, the Gender and Development Programme of the Asian and Pacific Development Centre, and ARROW in a number of diverse capacities. These include reproductive health service manager; researcher; trainer; project director; head of evaluation; senior programme officer; and Executive Director.

Rashidah has a Masters in Social Work (policy, planning and administration) from Western Michigan University (US), a post graduate diploma in Social Administration from Flinders University in South Australia (1973) and a degree in psychology and history from the University of Western Australia (1971).

Rashidah has been a consultant or technical advisor for a number of international organisations, including UNESCO, UNFPA, IPPF, and WHO, as well as the Malaysian government and a number of women’s NGOs. She has also been a member of key regional and international planning committees for conferences, including the ICPD+5 Forum in the Hague, Countdown 2004 in London and the 9th International Women’s Health Meeting in Toronto.

Besides research and advocacy, she also has enjoyed writing and editing many publications, including books, research reports, bibliographies, information kits, manuals, newsletters, and articles on violence against women, gender and development, sexual and reproductive health, population policy, monitoring  and advocacy, men’s responsibility, women’s health and rights, and Islam and women’s rights. She was formerly a member of the Editorial Board of Reproductive Health Matters Journal, UK (1994 to 2004); the Foundation Council of the Global Forum for Health Research, Geneva (1998 to 2004); and ISIS International Manila General Assembly.

Rashidah is currently active in a number of capacities through her work as the founder director on ARROW’s Board of Directors, Co-Coordinator of RRAAM, a member of the Malaysian Aids Council’s Programme Review Committee, the Programme and Management Committee of Sisters in Islam, and a trustee of Women’s Aid Organization (WAO).

Rashidah now works as an activist and independent consultant in the areas of women’s health and sexual and reproductive health and rights, women’s rights and NGO organisational development. She lives near Kuala Lumpur and at The Reef Chalets on Perhentian Island on Malaysia’s rural East Coast.

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