Eyeing balanced growth for women

Ministry outlines need for increased opportunities in all spheres

PUTRAJAYA: Government and private agencies need to create a balanced environment in all spheres for the wellbeing of women, says the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry.

It said full commitment was crucial to increase opportunities for women “because women are the pillars of the family and, as such, the catalyst for national progress”.

“All initiatives will be reviewed and measures will be taken to target a wider audience,” the ministry said in a statement in conjunction with International Women’s Day.

Besides increasing women’s participation in various areas, the ministry said the theme of this year’s celebration – Balance for Better – also focused on the importance of gender mainstreaming in all aspects of development to provide women with greater opportunities.

The ministry promised to provide various platforms to empower women, especially those in the B40 group, and expand wellness programmes under the i-Suri initiative launched last year.

It also planned to improve existing legislative policies, including reforms for the National Policy for Women and the enactment of the Sexual Harassment Bill.

In Kuching, the Sarawak Women for Women Society (SWWS) urged the government to pass a Gender Equality Act in line with Malaysia’s obligations under the United Nations Convention for the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (Cedaw), enacting new legislation against sexual harassment and ending child marriage.

“Girls, unlike boys, are still allowed to marry when legally, a child is not considered mature enough to vote, smoke or drink.

“Early marriage negatively impacts their life chances,” SWWS president Margaret Bedus said.

She also called on the government to develop opportunities for women and girls in rural areas.

“This imbalance impacts both men and women, but arguably more on the women, who are often left behind and have less say in decision-making bodies,” she noted.

Bedus also said the government should provide safeguards against violations of women’s human rights in matters related to family, relationships, marriage and employment.

“They should have equal access to justice and adequate maintenance should partnerships fail,” she said, adding that mothers should be given equal rights as fathers to pass on their nationality and ethnic identity to their children, as this benefits the latter too.

The Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) said despite the many advances made in promoting women’s rights, women continue to experience widespread discrimination in the country.

“According to the Department of Statistics, only 54.7% of women participate in the workforce compared to 80.1% of men, yet approximately half of all professional and technical workers are women,” said Suhakam chairman Tan Sri Razali Ismail.

He said even in management and senior roles, only 22.2% were headed by women, addeding that they only earned an average of RM93.80 for every RM100 that men earned.

Razali said having ratified Cedaw in 1995, it took Malaysia 24 years to draft laws that formally recognised gender equality and criminalised sexual harassment.

“This is a positive step but the Committee on Cedaw, Suhakam and other women’s rights groups urge the government to expedite the enactment of these laws and to table these two Bills at this year’s Parliament session,” he added.

He said Suhakam was also adamant that raising the marriage age to 18 without exception would let girls focus on their education and enable them to be financially independent, upwardly mobile and fully empowered.