Recognise domestic violence support as essential services during MCO, gov't told

CORONAVIRUS | The government has been urged to recognise support services for domestic violence victims as an essential service during the movement control order (MCO).

The Women’s Centre for Change Penang (WCC) said women are especially vulnerable to domestic violence during the MCO as stress levels across Malaysia skyrocket.

As such, WCC said they are echoing calls by other women’s organisations such as Women’s Aid Organisation (WAO) in urging the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry to immediately streamline urgent domestic violence response measures during the MCO with priority given to emergency shelters, access to transportation for victims and clearance for travel outside the restricted 10km radius and curfew hours to access support.

“Families, cooped up together at home for weeks, are on edge. Economic hardship is rampant.

“Under the MCO, the risk of domestic violence increases greatly, not just in terms of the number of abusive incidents but also in their severity,” WCC said in a statement today.

They said their telephone counselling data over the first four weeks of the MCO showed a clear increase in the number of domestic violence cases handled compared to previous months.

In January 2020, they had 27 cases, then 16 cases in February whereas they received 33 cases in the first four weeks of the MCO.

“Over the last four days, WCC has received four urgent calls pertaining to domestic violence, three of which involved the need for emergency shelter.

“Our social workers have been working around the clock to support the victims and their children,” they said.

WCC also criticised the advice given by the Deputy Women, Family and Community Development Minister Siti Zailah Mohd Yusoff in a five-minute video clip, where she acknowledged the MCO may be putting stress on families, leading to domestic violence.

In view of this, Siti Zailah had provided three “tips” on how to defuse tensions, including being appreciative, showing forgiveness and being religious. She also said that victims of domestic abuse should contact her ministry’s Talian Kasih hotline for help.

However, WCC said this message was “misguided at best and fatal at worst”.

“There is a difference between marital conflict and domestic violence.

“When common disagreements happen, the couple may argue but they learn to resolve their differences without resorting to violence. Here, patience and forgiveness are part of such martial conflict resolution.

“Domestic abuse, on the other hand, is about wielding power over another often over a prolonged period. Such abuse is toxic and inexcusable.

“When domestic violence occurs, it is time to act, not negotiate patiently,” WCC said.

It is of utmost importance to the safety of the victims and their children that such violence must be stopped, they added.

Interventions, they said, could make the difference between life and death. - Mkini