KUALA LUMPUR: The inaugural Malaysia Women and Girls Forum (MWGF) yesterday concluded with 10 key resolutions to ensure women and girls in the country do not get left behind in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Malaysia in a statement said the resolutions would be compiled as a report and presented to relevant Malaysian ministries and parliamentary select committees along with recommendations.
“Among the resolutions are introduce a sexual harassment act to ensure survivors have no reason to fear a lack of legal protection or remedy and encourage and nurture girls in science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields of study.
“Other resolution is reinforce girls’ access to comprehensive sex education to reduce unsafe practices and prevent child sexual abuse and provide women and girls with unlimited access to sexual and reproductive health services so that they can take control of their bodily autonomy,” said the statement.
The forum themed ‘Malaysia’s Women and Girls at the heart of Covid-19 Recovery’ that funded and supported by the United Nations in Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei Darussalam and UNFPA Malaysia, was created to identify, track and provide proactive recommendations as well as solutions on the progress of advancing the rights and wellbeing of Malaysia’s women and girls.
MWGF was officially launched by Senator Ras Adiba Radzi who is representing people with disabilities (PwD) in the Senate and chairman of Bernama.
“The forum kicked off with a plenary session that focused on driving the economic potential of Malaysian women and girls via key legislation and social reform. At the heart of the discussion was the necessity for passing the sexual Harassment bill, Employment Act reform and creating better economic opportunities for women in Malaysia,“ said the statement.
Meanwhile, other plenary and keynote sessions discussed the current status of sexual and reproductive health and rights and the need to amplify efforts to ensure that Malaysian women and girls have the knowledge to control their bodily autonomy.
“Throughout the forum, the audience were encouraged to share their perspectives, ask questions and make insightful comments pertaining to each of the topics being discussed and allowing for multiple perspectives to be considered,“ said the statement. — Bernama
