KUALA LUMPUR – The Finance Ministry and women-related non-governmental organisations (NGOs) have been given the responsibility to prepare a gender-responsive budget for the B40 group starting next year, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob announced.
He said the budget initiative, to be based on gender-disaggregated data, will identify target groups and distribute allocations according to the needs of groups with significant numbers.
“This is not just for single mothers, but also single fathers if their number shows a significant increase in the community,” he said at the National Women’s Day celebration here today, which was graced by Raja Permaisuri Agong Tunku Hajah Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah.
Ismail Sabri said the government would also improve and fine-tune the existing policies, legislations, and programmes to be more gender-sensitive, including by reviewing the National Women Policy and in formulating gender-sensitive bills.
Among the bills were the anti-sexual harassment bill, which had recently been passed in Parliament, and the anti-stalking bill which had been tabled for first reading at Dewan Rakyat on August 4.
The prime minister said the government would also continue with its action plan to address underage marriage, with Kedah having made an amendment to the Islamic family law enactment to provide protection to weak and vulnerable groups.
“It is hoped that it will be emulated by other states so that the issue of underage marriage can be addressed,” he said.
Admitting that there is room for improvement, Ismail Sabri said the national agenda to empower women, who are the pillar of the country’s development, has always been a priority to the government.
For instance, he said, the government had agreed to establish the National Women’s Council, National Women’s Executive Committee, and state women’s working committees to empower the roles of women at the federal and state levels.
“The government has also allocated RM13 million specifically for the Sexual, Women and Child Investigation Division of the Royal Malaysia Police to ensure that investigations into sexual crimes involving women and children can be done more effectively,” he said. – Bernama, August 25, 2022
