Johor second highest in domestic violence

> State follows Selangor with 3,424 cases recorded from 2013

JOHOR BARU: Johor has a record it cannot be proud of – it is the state with the second largest number of domestic violence cases after Selangor, with the majority of victims between the ages of 26 and 35.

State Women Development and Tourism Committee chairman Liow Cai Tung said this when closing the “Violence Against Women” seminar at Dewan Taman Sinar Harapan Jubli yesterday.

“According to police statistics, Johor recorded 3,424 domestic violence cases from 2013 to 2018, after Selangor with 4,064 cases,” Liow said.

Worryingly, she said, such cases are increasing year by year, from 583 cases in 2013 to 681 cases in 2017.

“Johor recorded 315 cases of domestic violence within the first five months of this year.”

“Women cannot fight domestic violence alone, we need the help from men, so our advocacy campaigns need the involvement of men,” she said.

Some 758 women had lodged police reports as victims of domestic violence in the first five months of this year.

Liow said the main causes of domestic violence consisted of misunderstanding between husband and wife and husbands failing to control their anger resulting in physical violence such as beating, kicking and trauma to the victims.

Most of the time, victims panic and cannot cope with social pressure from family members, relatives and friends.

“We need to give the victim a hand as we are a caring society.”

She said children too were unwitting victims of domestic violence, resulting in them running away from home, unwanted pregnancy and abandoned babies.

Liow said domestic violence does not discriminate against race and religion.

“It is a universal violence that we need to combat together.”

Anyone who needs help can call the domestic violence and child abuse hotline at 15999 (24 hours).

The programme was jointly organised by the Johor Women Development Department and Association of Wives of State Assemblymen in Johor (Jasmine).

Jasmine chairman Datin Nora Mohd Som, who is also the wife of the mentri besar, was also present.