Malaysia’s women’s ministry conducted 1,131 domestic violence advocacy programmes last year, reaching over 154,000 participants nationwide.
KUALA LUMPUR: A total of 1,131 domestic violence advocacy programmes were conducted last year, involving 154,241 participants nationwide.
Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri provided the figures in Parliament today.
She said the ministry is committed to addressing domestic violence through a comprehensive approach, collaborating with various agencies and community sectors.
The advocacy efforts included the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women commemorated annually on November 25.
“The EVAW campaign is also being implemented at the state level through the Santuni Kasih@KRT initiative, as a holistic effort to increase public awareness of this issue,” Nancy said.
She was replying to a question from Teresa Kok Suh Sim regarding the government’s plans for anti-domestic violence awareness campaigns.
The question followed a study that found 53.35% of Malaysians consider domestic violence a normal reaction to daily stress.
Nancy highlighted that her ministry, through the Department of Women Development, has introduced various support programmes.
These include counselling services, psycho-educational initiatives, and the Aku Wanita@KRT programme which supports affected women.
Other programmes are Matahari, which helps build emotional strength, and IRIS, which empowers women with knowledge of their legal rights.
The department has also established the Waja Squad, a volunteer team at the community level.
In response to a supplementary question about inter-agency collaboration, Nancy cited the Advocacy and Capacity Development Working Committee.
She said the committee under the Domestic Violence Committee plays an essential role in coordinating information and statistics.
It also connects government agencies with relevant bodies on domestic violence cases.
Nancy added that the ministry has implemented a comprehensive approach to address the post-trauma cycle.
This includes running advocacy programmes at educational institutions and schools, with over 300 schools targeted annually.
