PETALING JAYA: A total of 2,287 cases of domestic violence were reported this year, with the numbers especially high during the implementation of the various movement control orders, according to the women, family and community development ministry.
A total of 4,349 cases of child abuse, including physical, sexual and emotional abuse, as well as 1,263 cases of sexual abuse towards women were also reported, the ministry’s deputy undersecretary of community development, senior citizen and disabled, Kolony Gunting, said.
Speaking at the “Recover Better – Stand Up For Human Rights” virtual forum, he said these statistics only involved reports made directly to the Social Welfare Department through their Talian Kasih hotline (15999) and did not take into account police reports.
He said these numbers were “quite high” but did not draw any comparisons with statistics of previous years.
Shivani Verma, human rights officer at the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Southeast Asia office, said the Covid-19 pandemic had amplified existing issues that many women already faced.
“Manifestations of discriminations against women and girls, already widespread before Covid-19, have been exacerbated in most areas of life, from heightened risk of gender-based violence, unmet needs for sexual reproductive health to the right to jobs and education.”
The forum was held in recognition of Human Rights Day 2020, organised jointly by the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia, foreign affairs ministry, Legal Affairs Division of the Prime Minister’s Department and United Nations in Malaysia.