GEORGE TOWN, March 26 — Penang-based Women’s Centre for Change (WCC) will be providing critical counselling through its hotlines from 9am to 9pm daily until April 14.
According to WCC programme director, Karen Lai, the non-governmental organisation (NGO) will continue to provide counselling to victims of domestic or sexual violence throughout the Movement control order (MCO).
“Given the MCO situation, WCC is extending our services,” she said.
She said the both of WCC’s offices have received about 30 calls including new and follow-up cases since the MCO on March 18.
“About 10 of the calls are domestic violence cases,” she said.
She said WCC is increasing awareness on its counselling services so that domestic and sexual violence victims could reach out to them for help.
She said those who called are either encouraged to call the police for protection and social workers responding to the calls will monitor the situation.
“At the moment, we are abiding by the MCO and are limited accordingly so contact is only through phone, WhatsApp, email and social media messaging,” she said.
She added that their social workers are in contact with the police and will alert the police if they received any serious cases that required immediate action.
She said now, most people are still preoccupied with the MCO and novel coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak.
“Things will remain bad, if not get worse economically in the coming months. We will also have to prepare for that in terms of counselling cases,” she said.
The counselling services by WCC are free and confidential.
The numbers to call are: 011-31084001/0164287265 (WCC Penang)
016-4390698/0164180342 (WCC Seberang)
