Puan Sri Sukumari Sekhar (2 August 1933 – 8 March 2021) was a Malaysian

women's A woman is an adult female human. Prior to adulthood, a female human is referred to as a girl (a female child or adolescent). The plural ''women'' is sometimes used in certain phrases such as " women's rights" to denote female humans rega ...

and

children's rights Children's rights are a subset of human rights with particular attention to the rights of special protection and care afforded to minors.

activist. She was the founder and deputy president of Malaysia's National Council of Women's Organizations.

Early life and education

Sukumari Nair was born on 2 August 1933 in Jalan Bandar Hilir,

Malacca Malacca ( ms, Melaka) is a state in Malaysia located in the southern region of the Malay Peninsula, next to the Strait of Malacca. Its capital is Malacca City, dubbed the Historic City, which has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site s ...

. She was educated at the

University of Malaya The University of Malaya ( ms, Universiti Malaya, UM; abbreviated as UM or informally the Malayan University) is a public research university located in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It is the oldest and highest ranking Malaysian institution of highe ...

in Singapore.

Women's and children's rights activism

Sekhar was one of the founders and a former deputy president of the National Council of Women's Organizations, Malaysia. From 1967 to 1972, she served as the organisation's honorary assistant secretary-general and from 1972 to 1979 as the honorary secretary-general. In May 1977, she chaired the organising committee at the National Education Conference on the Prevention of Drug Abuse. Sekhar advocated on behalf of

children's rights in Malaysia Children's rights in Malaysia have progressed since Malaysia acceded to the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) in 1995 and introduced the Child Act 2001, Child Act in 2001. Government and civil society initiatives to realise and uphold t ...

, petitioning the government to recognise the inheritance and proprietary rights of children born out of wedlock. In 1978, Sekhar organised several workshops around the rights of children in preparation for the following year's

International Year of the Child UNESCO proclaimed 1979 as the International Year of the Child.

. At one of the seven workshops, the rights of children born out of wedlock were discussed. The workshop recommended changing legislation around illegitimacy, producing a memorandum and a Children's Charter that were presented to Prime Minister

Hussein Onn Tun Hussein bin Dato' Onn ( ms, حسين بن عون, label= Jawi, script=arab, italic=unset; 12 February 1922 – 29 May 1990) was a Malaysian lawyer and politician who served as the 3rd Prime Minister of Malaysia from the death of his predec ...

. In the 1990s, Sekhar represented Malaysia at the Year of the Child Conference in Nairobi. Following the

2001 Kampung Medan riots The 2001 Kampung Medan riots is a sectarian violence between the Indian and Malay that initially began in a small village of Kampung Medan located in Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia. The riot then further escalated and spread all the way throug ...

, Sekhar proposed a foundation that could provide skill training for the youth. The MySkills Foundation was established in 2011. Sekhar was chair of the Women Teachers' Union's Selangor branch. She was the recipient of the Anugerah Tokoh Wanita Award in 2012.

Personal life

Sukumari married businessman

B. C. Shekhar Balachandra Chakkingal Sekhar (17 November 1929 – 6 September 2006 ) modernised Malaysia's natural rubber industry. He was also involved in the development of the nation's palm oil industry. Personal history Sekhar was born on 17 November 19 ...

. After he received the honour of Commander of the

Order of Loyalty to the Crown of Malaysia The Most Esteemed Order of Loyalty to the Crown of Malaysia ( ms, Darjah Yang Mulia Setia Mahkota Malaysia) is a Malaysian federal award presented for meritorious service to the country and awarded by the sovereign. The order was instituted o ...

in 1976, she received the title Puan Sri. She is the mother of Jayan, Sujatha,

Vinod Vinod ( hi, विनोद , mr, विनोद , gu, વિનોદ) is a male given name used in India and Nepal, meaning "delight", "enjoyment", or "pleasure". People *Vinod Agarwal, Indian-American businessman and scientist *Vinod Agga ...

, and Gopinath. Sekhar died on 8 March 2021 at the Cardiac Vascular Sentral Kuala Lumpur.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sekhar, Sukumari 1933 births 2021 deaths Malaysian women activists 20th-century Malaysian women 21st-century Malaysian women University of Malaya alumni People from Malacca