Fatimah (seated on stage, third left) joins participants and facilitators of the ‘Baitul Muslim Programme’ in a photo-call at Dalat Community Hall.
DALAT: An integrated standard operating procedure (SOP) has been established for a more standardised governance to deal with domestic violence cases in the state.
According to Welfare, Community Wellbeing, Women, Family and Childhood Development Minister Dato Sri Fatimah Abdullah, domestic violence in Sarawak has been on the rise since 2015.
In numbers, there were 279 cases of domestic violence reported in 2015 and 427 cases in 2016, but in just four months into last year, the figure rose to 535 cases.
On the SOP, Fatimah said it had been accepted by the police, state Welfare Department, state Health Department, state Women and Family Department and also the One-Stop Crisis Centre (OSCC).
Adding on, she said the SOP is aimed at ensuring that the welfare of victims of domestic violence would be taken care of, and also getting justice for them in a swift, efficient and accurate manner.
“The SOP would serve as guidance for all agencies and parties that are dealing with (cases of) domestic violence. This book was launched on July 24, 2017,” Fatimah, who is Dalat assemblywoman, said at a ‘Baitul Muslim Programme – Islamic Smart Parenting Skills 2018’ that took place at Dalat Community Hall yesterday.
On statistics, the minister noted that there had been an increase in rape cases, from 125 in 2015 to 130 last year.
Child abuse cases also jumped from 15 in 2015 to 28 last year, while teenage pregnancy cases went down to 2,185 as at last November, from 2,909 recorded in 2015.
Divorce cases among Muslim couples had been on the rise over the past five years – from 2,346 cases in 2012 up to 2,670 cases in 2016. For the non-Muslims, 959 divorce cases was recorded in 2012 and the figure went up to 1,175 cases in 2016.
On drug abuse, Fatimah quoted a 2016 study by the Malaysia Crime Prevention Foundation, stating that over 60 per cent of social problems in Malaysia were drug-related.
“Property crimes are the main contributor to the overall crime index in Sarawak – 6,353 cases were reported in 2015, but the number went down to 5,865 cases in 2016, and 4,546 cases in 2017,” she disclosed.
Meanwhile Fatimah said the programme on Islamic parenting skills yesterday, organised by state Women and Family Department, was aimed at exposing Muslim parents to parenting skills based on Islamic values.
“A strong family institution can be the best defence against social problems in this digital age, where the world is without boundary,” she said.
The session gathered 118 participants.