Latest news with #WanAzizahWanIsmail
New Straits Times
3 days ago
- Politics
- New Straits Times
Elderly care gets boost with new law, digital awareness to fight scams
KUALA LUMPUR: The government is strengthening efforts to empower and protect senior citizens through support services, digital literacy initiatives, and legislation, said Datuk Seri Dr Noraini Ahmad. The Deputy Women, Family and Community Development Minister said one of the ministry's current focus areas was to ensure that older persons could live independently and with dignity, particularly in light of rising cases of online scams targeting vulnerable groups. "The ministry is taking several important steps to strengthen protection for senior citizens, particularly in terms of neglect and abuse. "For this reason, we are in the process of drafting the Senior Citizens Bill, which aims primarily to protect the fundamental rights and welfare of this group. "We are also currently reviewing the National Senior Citizens Action Plan, with one of the main focuses being issues such as scams and fraud. "The goal is to create a generation of independent, respected senior citizens who receive support from the community," she said during Minister's Question Time in the Dewan Rakyat today. She was responding to a question from Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail (PH-Bandar Tun Razak), who queried the ministry's efforts to introduce more comprehensive laws to protect senior citizens against neglect and abuse by family members and also scams. Noraini said the ministry would implement awareness programmes and digital literacy courses to help prevent them from becoming victims of cybercrime. "This is part of our efforts to improve the system because, ultimately, we must ensure that the implementation of every policy truly reaches the grassroots, and this requires the cooperation of all parties," she said. She said the ministry, through the Social Welfare Department, also provides Home Help Services, which offers social support to elderly individuals who live alone. "These Social Welfare Department volunteers visit the elderly regularly and offer companionship, help prepare meals and drinks, and assist with household chores. "The objective is to enable seniors to age in place within their communities. If that is no longer possible, then we look to community-based care, and only then to institutional care," she said. She said they also have the Unit Penyayang Warga Emas initiative as a complementary service to Home Help, which provides transportation for elderly individuals to attend medical appointments at hospitals or public health clinics.
The Star
4 days ago
- Politics
- The Star
‘Role of women in informal sector must be equally recognised'
KUALA LUMPUR: The role of women in the informal sector, especially housewives and family caregivers, needs to be recognised and appreciated, commensurate with their contributions to society and country, says Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail. Dr Wan Azizah, the wife of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, said women's policies formulated by the government, such as the National Policy on Women (DWN) and Women's Development Action Plan (PTPW) 2025-2030, not only emphasise the importance of empowering women but also increase public awareness of the major role played by this group in the country's progress. The policies are important in enhancing the role of women, raising their image and appreciating their contributions to the country, she added. 'These policies reflect the government's commitment towards a better future for women, especially in contributing to the national development process,' she said. Dr Wan Azizah said this at a press conference after officiating the DWN-PTPW 2025-2030 Special Walkabout at the Parliament building yesterday, Bernama reported. The event themed 'Women's Dignity, Strengthening the Nation' was also attended by Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri, Deputy Communications Minister Teo Nie Ching and Dewan Rakyat Deputy Speaker Alice Lau Kiong Yieng. At the same press conference, Nancy suggested that unpaid care work be valued equally with paid work, especially for women from vulnerable groups. 'We need to change it to something equivalent to paid care work,' she said.
The Sun
4 days ago
- Politics
- The Sun
Women empowerment must include informal sector, says Dr Wan Azizah
KUALA LUMPUR: The empowerment of women must extend beyond the formal sector to include those in informal roles such as housewives and caregivers, said Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail. Speaking at the launch of the National Policy on Women (DWN) and Women's Development Action Plan (PTPW) 2025-2030, she emphasised the need to appreciate their contributions to society and national development. 'The policies we have formulated not only focus on empowering women but also aim to raise public awareness of their crucial role in the country's progress,' said Dr Wan Azizah, wife of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. She added that these policies reflect the government's commitment to securing a better future for women, particularly in driving national development. The event, themed 'Women's Dignity, Strengthening the Nation,' was held at the Parliament building and attended by Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri, Deputy Communications Minister Teo Nie Ching, and Dewan Rakyat Deputy Speaker Alice Lau Kiong Yieng. Nancy Shukri highlighted the need to value unpaid care work equally with paid employment, especially for women from vulnerable groups. 'We must recognise unpaid care work as equivalent to paid work,' she said, stressing the importance of a whole-of-government approach to balance workloads and strengthen support systems for working women. She also called for better childcare facilities at workplaces and stronger family support to ease the burden on working women. - Bernama
Barnama
4 days ago
- Politics
- Barnama
Women Empowerment Needs To Extend Beyond Formal Sector
KUALA LUMPUR, July 28 (Bernama) -- The role of women in the informal sector, especially housewives and family caregivers, needs to be recognised and appreciated commensurate with their contributions to society and country, said Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, wife of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. Dr Wan Azizah said the women's policies formulated by the government such as the National Policy on Women (DWN) and Women's Development Action Plan (PTPW) 2025-2030 not only emphasise the importance of empowering women, but also increase public awareness of the major role played by this group in the country's progress. The policies are important to develop women in addition to raising their image and appreciating their contributions to the country. These policies reflect the government's commitment towards a better future for women, especially in contributing to the national development process," she said.
Malaysian Reserve
4 days ago
- Business
- Malaysian Reserve
Dasar Wanita Negara 2025-2030 outlines inclusive push for women's development
by AKMAR ANNUAR MALAYSIA'S renewed commitment to women's empowerment takes centre stage at Parliament with the launch of a special walkabout event highlighting the National Women's Policy or Dasar Wanita Negara (DWN) and its 2025-2030 Action Plan today. Spearheaded by former Deputy Prime Minister (DPM) Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail and Women, Family and Community Development Minister (KPWKM) Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri, the DWN is the most comprehensive update to the country's gender policy framework since 2009. The policy seeks to position women as key agents of inclusive national development, with strategic focus on four pillars — economy, leadership, safety and wellbeing — while embedding gender-sensitive budgeting, data and governance across ministries and agencies. 'It is important for a woman to raise the image of a woman and what she can contribute to the country. When the policy shows that we pay attention to this, it shows the goodness of the future, God willing, for women in the development of the country,' Dr Wan Azizah said during the event. She added that the policy must also account for the often-overlooked contributions of women in informal roles, including as unpaid homemakers and caregivers. 'As a mother and a homemaker who is not paid, it is important for us to be inspiring and provide (the necessary) support,' she said. The remarks highlight an ongoing challenge in Malaysia's labour landscape: Despite women making up nearly half of the population, their participation in the formal workforce remains low. In 2023, the female labour force participation rate stood at just 56.2% compared to 82.3% for men. Data from the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) further revealed that many women leave the workforce mid-career, with limited return. This is particularly acute among mothers and informal caregivers, whose economic contributions are often excluded from official productivity measures. DWN 2025-2030 aims to address this imbalance through structural reforms and support systems that enable more women to enter and remain in the workforce. These include expanding access to affordable childcare, promoting flexible work arrangements and increasing women's participation in high-growth sectors such as science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), artificial intelligence (AI) and green technology. Among its key targets, the policy sets an ambitious goal to raise the female labour force participation rate to 60% by 2030 and to grow the number of women entrepreneurs registered with the Companies Commission of Malaysia (SSM) by one million. The government also plans to strengthen leadership pipelines for women, with the aim of ensuring at least 30% female representation in decision-making positions across public and private sectors. Yet current statistics reveal a gap. As of July 2025, only 13.5% of Dewan Rakyat members and 16.1% of Dewan Negara members are women — well below the 30% benchmark recommended in the policy. The walkabout event held in Parliament was intended to rally cross-party support and catalyse institutional change to address this deficit. Nancy described the renewed policy as a catalyst for elevating Malaysia's international standing on gender equity and social inclusion, especially in line with global frameworks like the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs) and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). 'I believe that the National Women's Policy 2025-2030 will continue to serve as a strong foundation in championing women's rights in Malaysia,' she said in the preface to the executive summary of the policy document. Nancy also said the policy's emphasis on inclusivity would help improve Malaysia's scores in key global indices such as the Global Gender Gap Index (GGGI) and the World Competitiveness Ranking (WCR), where Malaysia currently lags behind regional peers. Malaysia ranked 114th out of 148 countries in the 2024 GGGI, with a score of 0.668. Within ASEAN, the country sits ninth among 10 member states, reflecting persisting gender gaps in economic participation, political representation and leadership. DWN 2025-2030 proposes a whole-of-nation approach to address these issues, with 12 'change drivers' and four enablers: Gender-responsive budgeting, gender-disaggregated data, gender impact assessments and gender audits. In practical terms, this means each government ministry is expected to incorporate gender-based analysis into policy development and budget planning. This includes improving access to sex-disaggregated data and introducing mechanisms to track the outcomes of policies on women's participation, safety and wellbeing. The plan also calls for a gender-inclusive public safety framework, including the introduction of a dedicated women's security sub-index within Malaysia's national safety indicators. Moreover, it encourages more women to enter traditionally male-dominated sectors such as defence, law enforcement and public order. Complementing the macro policies are proposals to strengthen social support systems and outreach programmes, including mobile health clinics for women in rural areas, expanded literacy on legal rights and improved digital infrastructure for women entrepreneurs in Sabah and Sarawak. The policy also outlines the creation of a Women's Leadership Hub and a national campaign to promote visibility and public trust in female leaders. This includes strategic use of media and community engagement to amplify the contributions of women at all levels of society — from Parliament to the 'kampung'. Ultimately, DWN 2025-2030 reaffirms the government's commitment to build a fairer and more competitive Malaysia by unlocking the potential of its female population. By removing structural barriers and investing in inclusive systems, the policy aims to reposition women not as secondary stakeholders, but as equal partners in the nation's growth. 'The success of a nation lies in its ability to empower all its people — and that includes women in every sphere of life,' Nancy said. The full implementation of DWN 2025-2030 will span the next five years, synchronised with the national development planning cycle, and will be spearheaded by the Women's Development Department under KPWKM.
