NAME OF ORGANIZATION:

Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development

ADDRESS:

Level 1-6, Block E
Kompleks Pejabat Kerajaan Bukit Perdana
Jalan Dato’ Onn
50515 Kuala Lumpur
Malaysia

Tel: (603) 2693 0095
Fax: (603) 2693 4982
Email: info@kpwk.gov.my
URL: http://www.kpwk.gov.my

STATUS:

Governmental

HEAD OF ORGANIZATION:

The Honourable Dato’ Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil
Minister of Women, Family and Community Development

YEAR OF ESTABLISHMENT:

1983 – Women’s Affairs Division, Prime Minister’s Department
1997 – Department of Women’s Affairs, Ministry of National Unity and
Social Development
2001 – Ministry of Women and Family Development
2004 – Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development

ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE:

OBJECTIVES AND FUNCTIONS:

Objectives

• To strengthen the role and responsibility of the Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development in taking the lead in women, family and community development.
• To encourage the implementation of social inclusion and cohesiveness programmes.
• To generate synergy of the various sectors in women, family and community development.
• To strengthen social support system and services.

MAIN INITIATIVES, ACTIVITIES, PROJECTS, PROGRAMMES:

Policy/Plan of Action:
• National Policy on Women
• National Action Plan of Action for the Advancement of Women

Legislation:
Enactment of new laws and review and amendment of existing laws and legislation such as:
• Amendments to the Article 8 (2) of the Federal Constitution in 2001 to guarantee that there will be no discrimination on the grounds of gender;
• The enactment of The Employment Act 1955 (Revised in 1981, 1994 and 1998) to provide better working conditions for women;
• Amendments to the Income Tax Act 1967 (Revised 1975, 1978 and 1991) provide an option to married women to have separate income tax assessment;
• The adoption of the Women and Girls’ Protection Act 1973 and its 1987 amendments. In 2000, The Women and Girls Protection Act 1973 and The Child Protection Act 1991 were reviewed and streamlined into the Child Act 2000;
• Amendments to the Penal Code in 1989, 2002 and 2003 to enhance the penalties for offences relating to rape, prostitution and incest;
• The introduction of the Code of Practice on the Prevention and Handling of Sexual Harassment in the Workplace on 1 March 1999 to prevent and eradicate sexual harassment at the workplace;
• The enactment of the Domestic Violence Act in 1994 (Act 521) and the review of the Act to examine the difficulties in obtaining the Interim Protection Order, the power of judges and the need for counselling for victims as well as the lack of understanding of the provisions under the Act;
• Amendments to the Distribution Act 1958 (Act 300) in 1997 to repeal the distinction between wives and husbands in terms of the distribution of the estate of an intestate to the surviving spouse;
• Amendments to the Guardianship of Infants Act 1961 (Act 351) in 1999 to give legal recognition to the parental rights of mothers;
• The Immigration Act was amended in 2001 to allow foreign men married to Malaysian women to renew their social visit pass every six months until they gain employment;
• Amendment to the Pensions Act 1980 (Act 227) in 2002 to allow widows to continue receiving pensions even after they remarried;
• Article 12(1) Constitution of Malaysia which emphasises on equal right to education for all citizens regardless of religion, race, descent or place of birth;
• The Universities and University Colleges Act of 1991 stipulates equal access to educational opportunities for both male and female Malaysians.

Media campaigns:
• The “Women Against Violence” (WAVe) campaign in 2001
• The “Stop Rape: Respect And Restrain” campaign in 2004

Workshops and seminars:
• The Regional Training Workshop on Poverty Alleviation for non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and women organisations from South East Asia and South Asia in 2002
• The Asia Regional Workshop On Strengthening Partnerships For Eliminating Gender-Based Violence in 2002
• Gender sensitisation and capacity building programmes such as Nur Bestari , NurITA, Nur Hidayah and Nur Bikers
• Workshop on Gender Budget Analysis in 2004
• The “Small Office, Home Office” Dialogue in 2004

Family Programmes:
• The Nursejahtera programme on reproductive health in 2001
• The “Family First: Bring Your Heart Home” campaign in 2002
• The “Smart Start Package: A Guide for Newly Weds” programme in 2003

Pilot Project:
• The pilot project on gender budget analysis in 2003
• Development of the Gender Disaggregated Database Information System (GDIS) in 2003

MAJOR PUBLICATIONS:

• The Progress of Malaysian Women Since Independence (1957 – 2000)
• The Nur Bulletin
• Corporate brochures on the Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development
• The ‘Statistics on Women and Family’ book
• Directory on Women NGOs
• Booklet on Women Development Programmes Provided by Government Agencies
• ‘Rumah Nur’ (Women Support Centres), ‘How to Stay Safe’, ‘Domestic Violence’ and ‘Counseling’ brochures
• Brochures on the rights of Muslim women