Hannah Yeoh hopes new government will continue efforts against domestic violence

KUALA LUMPUR, March 8 — In conjunction with the International Women’s Day, Segambut MP Hannah Yeoh expressed hope that the new federal government would maintain the committee on domestic violence formed last year.

Yeoh, who was the deputy women, family and community development minister, said the new policy dealt with comprehensive and synchronised methods of collecting domestic violence data that were non-existent in the past.

“The issue with domestic violence data is that it is not collected in a meaningful way. That is why we established it.

“These data can be given to those in the locality to do more targeted awareness. We have started meeting so I hope that would continue.

“Violence doesn’t discriminate whether you are well to do or not, urban or rural, that is something women suffer in silence,” she said at Taman Rimba Kiara here.

In October 2019, Yeoh had announced the government’s intention to set up a multi-stakeholder committee to look into issues of sexual harassment and domestic violence against women.

The committee — comprising the police, women leaders, assemblymen and MPs — is aimed at collecting accurate data and to discuss reported cases of domestic violence, sexual harassment and assaults in each district.

She also said there was greater awareness about respecting women now, with the next step putting in place structures such as legislation to ensure women’s rights continued to be respected.

She also expressed her support for the Women’s March Malaysia set to take place later today, adding that violence against women must be stopped despite not being able to attend the march itself.

Earlier Hannah also distributed over 1,000 carnations — the flower which came to represent International Women’s Day — to park-goers at Taman Rimba Kiara.