MALAYSIA. Part One: Overview of achievements and challenges in promoting gender equality and women s empowerment

Transcription

1 MALAYSIA QUESTIONNAIRE TO GOVERNMENTS ON IMPLEMENTATION OF BEIJING PLATFORM OF ACTION (1995) AND THE OUTCOME OF THE TWENTY-THIRD SPECIAL SESSION OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY (2000) Part One: Overview of achievements and challenges in promoting gender equality and women s empowerment Give a brief analytical overview (in no more than three pages) of the major achievements in implementing the Platform for Action and the outcome of the twenty-third special session of the General Assembly (Beijing+5). Indicate two to three priority areas focused on since the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing in Identify areas where gender perspectives and the concerns of women have been taken into account in major legislative change, policy reforms, budget decisions or national development debates, including, for example, in the context of the Millennium Declaration and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). (See Annex I). Indicate the outcomes of monitoring of the national action plan adopted after the Fourth World Conference on Women. Specify the extent to which specific targets identified in the Millennium Development Goals, the Platform for Action or the outcome document of the twenty-third special session of the General Assembly have been met. Identify the remaining major gaps and challenges to achieving these targets. (See Annex II for a list of specific targets on women s empowerment and gender equality). Guiding questions: The response could, for example, address the following issues and questions: a) Has a policy on gender equality and the empowerment of women been adopted and at what level? Was a plan of action developed to support its implementation? What mechanisms were established for monitoring and how are different actors held accountable for its implementation? Is there a national coordination mechanism at the highest level to ensure that the policy is implemented in all sector areas? Since the Fourth World Conference on Women, the Government has strengthened an enabling environment for the advancement of women in Malaysia. Consistent with the goals of the National Policy on Women, efforts have been undertaken to improve and strengthen the national machinery for the advancement of women as well as to ensure greater collaboration and coordination in the implementation of activities for women and families as well as chart new directions for the advancement of women and strengthening the institution of the family. Amendments have been made to various laws to ensure that women are not discriminated against. Please refer to paragraph (e) for the achievements of legal reforms. 1

2 A chapter on women and development has been included in the Five Year National Development Plans, including in the recent Eighth Development Plan. The chapter prescribes specific strategies and measures to enhance the status of women, including the establishment of appropriate mechanisms and institutional framework to progressively assimilate women into the mainstream of social and economic activities. The inclusion of a chapter on women and development in the Five Year National Development Plan has help to create awareness among the policy-makers, planners and implementers. The Plan is monitored by the Economic Plan Unit of the Prime Minister s Department. The Plan of Action for the Advancement of Women was formulated right after Beijing (1996). The Plan focused on the main critical areas of concern that have been stipulated under the Beijing Platform of Action for the advancement of women. In 2001, the Ministry of Women and Family Development was established as a coordinating agency for the development of women and family in Malaysia. This was followed by the strengthening of all existing coordination and implementation mechanisms to carry out the commitment made at Beijing, including the followings: establishment of Interagency Planning Groups by the Economic Planning Unit of the Prime Minister s Department to formulate policies, strategies and programmes including for the advancement of women at the central agency level; the establishment of several Technical Working Groups (TWG) by the Ministry of Women and Family Development to address gender issues, including the TWG on Legislation, TWG on ICT and TWG on Media to discuss gender issues as well as to audit existing legislations and regulations that affect the interests of women and provide recommendations on a plan of action to improve the status of women. The Ministry has embarked on gender mainstreaming as a strategy for ensuring that women s as well as men s concerns and experiences are integrated into the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of policies and programmes in all spheres. As part of the gender mainstreaming process, gender sensitization for policy makers, planners and implementers has been carried out. The Department of Women Development, as implementing agency under the Ministry of Women and Family Development has been strengthened. Women Development Offices were set up at the state level to further enhance the status of women at the grass-root level. The Women Development Offices work closely with women at the grass-root level to address women s issues. The National Council on the Integration of Women established pursuant to the Nairobi Looking Forward Strategies has been further strengthened to be more effective as advocate and adviser on women s issues. The Government has also established the National Council on Women and Family Development at state, parliamentary and district levels. The Council is a coordinating mechanism on the issues of women and family development between the federal and state governments through identifying issues and problems which affect women and families and formulating programmes and activities to increase women s participation in development. 2

3 Women Service Centres known as Rumah Nur have been established at the state level to provide information pertaining to women and counseling services. Rumah Nur also acts as a one-stop referral centre for women. The networking between the government and NGOs has also been strengthened. Measures have been undertaken to facilitate NGOs in carrying out their activities for the benefit of women including through training programmes. To ensure speedy approval of funds for implementation of programmes, standardised formats and criteria for evaluation have been devised. A large amount of fund has been allocated to the NGOs to implement the Plan of Action on Women. Efforts are being made to provide all relevant information needed by women and the NGOs in an organised and systematic way. Publications on women issues and available facilities and assistance provided for women have been disseminated. The Ministry in consultation with the NGOs is in the process of reviewing the National Policy on Women and its Action Plan, Emphasis will be given to further improving and strengthening the national machinery for the advancement of women and ensuring greater coordination and collaboration in the implementation of activities for women. b) What is the status of the national action plan developed after the Fourth World Conference on Women? Is the plan in use or has a new plan been drawn up? How is implementation being monitored? What constraints exist to utilizing the plan as an effective instrument for the promotion of gender equality? The Plan of Action for the Advancement of Women was formulated in order to translate all the government s commitment and policies at the national level into various programmes and projects to be implemented by the parties involved namely the government, non-governmental organizations and the private sector. The plan is based on the areas of concern highlighted in the Beijing Platform for Action. The implementation of the Plan of Action for the Advancement of Women is monitored by the Ministry of Women and Family Development. More efforts have been made to mainstream gender perspective into the public and private sector. The Ministry implements gender awareness programmes to train government leaders especially policymakers as well as leaders at the grass root level to be gender sensitive. The Ministry also conducts training for the poor, including single mothers and women-headed households. The Ministry has forged a smart partnership with NGOs to implement programmes for women. Special allocations have been provided to NGOs who are active in gender advancement programmes and gender training. Meanwhile, creating gender awareness in society continues and the media plays a very important part in it. The Ministry and other relevant agencies develop good communication with the mass media to promote positive coverage of women in the media. 3

4 Major constraints in the implementation of the Plan of Action include the following:- i. lack of awareness on the importance of gender perspective in the planning, policy making and implementation of development programs and projects; ii. lack of data, particularly sex disaggregated data. Data collection by the various line ministries has to be fine tuned to include sex disaggregated data and this is a time consuming process; and iii. Cultural, prejudicial attitudes and stereotype perceptions of the society on the capability and ability of women and other cultural and traditional bias towards the role of women. c) To what extent are the Millennium Declaration and the Millennium Declaration Goals (MDGs) utilized as the national framework for development? What attention is given to Goal 3 on gender equality? Are gender perspectives and the concerns of women considered in all other MDG goals? Are links made to the Platform for Action and outcome of the twenty-third special session of the General Assembly as well as to the national action plan developed to implement the Platform for Action? The policies and strategies for the empowerment of women in Malaysia have already been outlined in the development plans of the Government before the adoption of the Millennium Declaration (MD) and the creation of the MDGs. Malaysia s Second Outline Perspective Plan ( ) and the Eighth Malaysia Plan ( ) contained the national framework for the development of women which emphasises the areas of concerns in the MD and the MDGs, including the importance to address the new and emerging issues such as globalization and information technology. Towards this end, new strategies to enhance the role of women in development have been included as one of the key policy thrusts of the Malaysian National Vision Policy ( ). The policy emphasises on women opportunities and access to employment, health service, ICT, business and social development programmes. Please refer to Appendix 1 for the MDGs Improvement Indicators of Malaysia. d) To what extent have the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), and the concluding comments of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women on States parties reports, affected national legislation and implementation? As a state party to CEDAW since 1995, Malaysia has taken various measures to address the issue of discrimination against women through the following initiatives: 4

5 a) The amendment of existing laws and legislations: i. Article 8(2) of the Federal Constitution was amended in 2001 to expressly prohibit discrimination on the ground of gender ii. The Penal Code was subjected to several amendments in 1989, 2002 and 2003 to enhance the penalties for offences relating to rape, prostitution and incest iii. The Pension Act was amended in 2002 to allow widows to continue receiving pensions even after they remarried iv. 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 b) The enactment of new laws such as the Code of Practice on the Prevention and Handling of Sexual Harassment in the Workplace in c) The review of existing laws such as the Domestic Violence Act 1994 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. e) What are the main legislative and policy-making achievements in the promotion of gender equality and women s empowerment over the past decade? Please provide details. Women s legal status with regard to citizenship, education, employment, legal rights and status in marriage, divorce, and the guardianship of children are embodied in the Federal Constitution as well as in other legislations which have been enacted from time to time. Considerable legislative changes have taken place. New laws have been enacted while existing laws and legislation are continuously being reviewed and amended to preserve, reinforce and protect the rights of women. These changes include: i. Amendments to the Article 8 (2) of the Federal Constitution in 2001 to expressly prohibit discrimination on the ground of gender; ii. The enactment of The Employment Act 1955 (Revised in 1981, 1994 and 1998) is the major legislation which regulates all labour relations, apply equally to men and women, such as contracts of service wages, rest hours, hours of work, holidays, annual leave, sick leave, termination and lay-off benefits, with specific parts in the Act, which pertain only to women, such as maternity protection and night work; iii. 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 clause prohibiting a married working women from separate income tax assessment was subject to several amendments (1975, 1978 and 1991). The amendment of 1991 allowed for separate assessments for married women unless they choose to be assessed jointly. Today, women taxpayers, whose husbands have no taxable income, are eligible for taxable relief similar to that available to a male taxpayer whose wife has no taxable income; 5

6 iv. The adoption of the Women and Girls Protection Act 1973 and its 1987 amendments to protect the rights and dignity of women. In 2000, The Women and Girls Protection Act 1973 and The Child Protection Act 1991 were reviewed and streamlined into the Child Act 2000; v. Amendments to the Penal Code in 1989, 2002 and 2003 to enhance the penalties for rape and in 2002 to enhance penalties for offences relating to prostitution. vi. The introduction of the Code of Practice on the Prevention and Handling of Sexual Harassment in the Workplace on 1 March 1999, which contains guidelines to employers on the establishment and implementation of in-house preventive and redress mechanisms to prevent and eradicate sexual harassment at the workplace; vii. The enactment of the Domestic Violence Act in 1994 (Act 521) to provide protection for battered wives and other victims of domestic violence and its implementation in 1996; viii. 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. Previously, a wife who survives her husband is entitled to only one-third of her husband s estate but the surviving husband is entitled to his wife s whole estate; ix. Amendments to the Guardianship of Infants Act 1961 (Act 351) in 1999 to give legal recognition to the parental rights of mothers. Previously, only the father of an infant was recognized as the guardian of his/her infant s person and property. The Act now provides that: In relation to the custody or upbringing of an infant or the administration of any property belonging to or held in trust for an infant or the application of the income of any such property, a mother shall have the same rights and authority as the law allows to a father, and the rights and authority of mother and father shall be equal. This law is only applicable to non-muslims in Malaysia; however, the Act specifies that it shall also apply to Muslims in states, which adopt the law. So far four states have adopted it. At the federal level, to address the issue of equal guardianship rights to Muslim mothers, a cabinet directive was issued in September 2000 to allow mothers to sign all documents related to their children. This ensures that all Malaysian women irrespective of race and religion are conferred the right of equal guardianship; x. The abolishment of immigration regulations which discriminate against Malaysian women married to foreigners. From 1 st September, 2001, foreign men married to Malaysian women are allowed to renew their social visit pass every six months until they gain employment. Also, foreign women who are divorced or separated from their Malaysian husbands after settling in Malaysia can apply for a social visit pass on a year-to-year basis, subject to approval by the government. Previously, they had to return to their countries once their social visit pass expired, and apply for a new one from there; xi. Under the Pensions Act 1980 (Act 227), widows lose their pensions if they remarry. The Government has rightly recognised the problems faced by widows who remarried. Therefore, during the year 2002 budget speech in October 2001, the Prime Minister announced that 6

7 widows will continue to receive pensions even after they remarried. The Pensions Act was amended to this effect in January 2002; and xii. Equal right to education. Under The Article 12(1) Constitution of Malaysia states that there shall be no discrimination that there shall be no discrimination against any citizen on the ground of religion, race, descent or place of birth: In the administration of any educational institution maintained by a public authority, and in particular, the admission of pupils or students or the payment of fees; or In providing out of the funds of a public authority financial aid for the maintenance of education of pupils or students in any educational institution (whether or not maintained by a public authority and whether within or outside the Federation). The Universities and University Colleges Act of 1991 stipulates open membership to all irrespective of sex. The New Economic Policy of 1970 provides equal access to educational opportunities for both male and female Malaysians. To further enhance the status of women in Malaysia, several policies have been developed as follows: In 2003, the Government approved a programme for single mothers with a monthly income of less than RM to own low cost houses. The differing impacts of programmes and projects will also be evaluated. In an effort to allow women in the public sector to care for their newborn and to encourage breast-feeding, maternity leave of up to 60 days was allowed for a maximum of up to five children with effect from May Male civil servants can now enjoy longer paternity leave to assist their wives and children in household cares. In line with the Family First: Bring Your Heart Home campaign, the Government has increased paternity leave from 3 days to 7 days in The provisions for tax deductions were provided to employers for the establishment of childcare centres near or at the workplace. Employers have also been encouraged to provide facilities such as proper housing, transportation and healthcare, particularly for the benefit of the female workers. The introduction of the Family Health Programme in 1996, women s health was given emphasis from two perspectives, namely, the health of the family comprising maternal and child health, immunization, family planning, early detection of cancers and nutrition, as well as diseases affecting women with emphasis on the prevention of HIV/AIDS. The provision of easy access to capital through the establishment of Women Entrepreneurs Fund in 1998, with an allocation of RM10 million, to facilitate the involvement of women in business. Another RM10 million has been allocated to this Fund under the Eighth Malaysia 7

8 Plan ( ). From August 1999 up to April 2003, a total of RM26.7 million was approved to women under the scheme which involved 379 loans. The provision of micro-credit facilities to about 22,850 women through Amanah Ikhtiar Malaysia was made to facilitate their involvement in small businesses and training programmes to assist single mothers to obtain employment. Yayasan Tekun Nasional (TEKUN) also provides financing amounting to RM130.3 million to 34,476 women entrepreneurs (from 1999 to April 2003). To facilitate single mothers in rural areas, a sum of RM100 million from the Village Micro- Credit Scheme will be set aside to provide loans to those who own business. In view of the need for a mechanism to deal with family matters that would potentially require adjudication by the Courts that are more women and family friendly, the Government through the Ministry of Women and Family Development is in the process of setting up a Family Court system in all states in Malaysia. In recognizing the rights, roles and functions of a family in shaping resilient, stable and harmonious families, Malaysia is also in the process of formulating a National Family Policy. f) To what extent have gender perspectives and the concerns of women been taken into account in preparation of budgets at national, regional and local levels? Describe efforts to monitor budgetary allocations related to achieving gender equality and empowerment of women. As part of the gender mainstreaming programme, a pilot gender budgeting project was carried out in 2003 in four ministries. Upon completion of the project, a mechanism will be established to monitor budgetary allocations related to achieving gender equality and empowerment of women in the four ministries. g) Provide information on major government policy discussions and/or parliamentary debates where gender perspectives and the concerns of women have been taken systematically into account. What recent major reforms have taken place in the country where these perspectives were taken into account, and what major problems are being debated in the country where these perspectives are considered as part of the overall debate? Debates on gender issues have become a norm in Malaysia. The Government and NGOs as well as the private sector organized forums, seminars, or talks on gender issues in various areas of concern. The recent public debate was on violence against women. We aim to make a violence free society the responsibility of all Malaysians. We have embarked on the massive campaign on violence against women which involves integrated and multiple strategies bringing together government experts, NGOs, private sector and the professional community. Values such as mutual respect and shared responsibility between men and women have been emphasized. The 8

9 most recent event was a Consultative Forum on rape with the theme Stop Rape Respect and Restraint. At parliamentarian level, debates revolve around legal issues. The parliamentarians participated actively in the debates on any legal reforms on women proposed by the coordinating Ministry. The Ministry of Women and Family Development is planning to raise the issue of women s participation at the decision making level at the cabinet meeting in the near future in our effort to set a quota as stated in the Beijing Platform for Action. h) In countries emerging from armed conflict, to what extent were women involved, and gender perspectives and women s concerns included, in peace negotiations and in planning of reconstruction efforts? Please give concrete examples. The issue is not relevant to Malaysia but we support any efforts to involve women in peace negotiations, planning and reconstruction efforts. Malaysia believes that equal access to and full participation of women in power structure and their involvement in all efforts for the prevention and resolution of conflicts are very important for the promotion of peace and security. i) How has globalization (for example, the use of ICT, market liberalization, changes in trading patterns, etc) affected the empowerment of women and girls and the promotion of gender equality? Malaysia acknowledges the fact that globalisation will result in a greater demand for multiskilled workers and thus, the input of women will be critical for the envisaged Information Society, recognizing that meaningful access to ICT and appropriate use of information and knowledge are powerful ways of empowering women and bridge the digital divide. In Malaysia, the digital divide is addressed by the National Information Technology Council. The Council charts national policies and plans programmes using both top-down and bottom-up strategies. E-community programmes have given valuable insights into issues that need to be addressed targeted for segments of the population, such as women, youth, the elderly, the disabled, the urban and rural poor as well as people involved in small and medium sized enterprises. To bridge the digital divide between the sexes, the Government has established a Technical Working Group (TWG) on Women and ICT in 2002, which is responsible for designing strategies and programmes on ICT for women and family. Two pilot projects have been identified. The first programme known as NurITA involves the creation of a women s portal as a one-stop centre. The second pilot project is called CreativeWomen.com that targets rural women of Sabah and Sarawak. This project is to provide a platform for women to market their products and services, especially handicrafts. 9

10 j) In which sector areas have specific policies, strategies and/or action plans for promotion of gender equality and women s empowerment been developed? Describe progress in implementation. To what extent are gender perspectives and the concerns of women routinely taken into account in legislation and policy making and programme development in other sectors? Please refer to answer in Part One paragraph (e), Appendix 2 and 3. k) What important partnerships have been established with non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and civil society groups, as well as the private sector and other stakeholders, in support of gender equality and empowerment of women? The government has strengthened the existing smart partnership with the NGOs, and the private sector in its efforts to achieve gender equality. Since 2001 to 2003, approximately RM 8,337, has been disbursed to 45 NGOs in Malaysia to run programme on ICT for women; and RM 240,582 to run gender sensitization programme. Allocation has also been disbursed to NGOs to run other programmes, including legal literacy, capacity-building, as well as public awareness campaigns on women against violence (WAVe). The representatives of NGOs also participated in seminars, workshops, dialogues and roundtables organized by the government, including in the preparation of the National Policy for Women and its Plan of Action. l) What efforts have been made to actively engage men and boys in the promotion of gender equality? What successes have been achieved and what constraints have been identified? One of the measures taken by the Government to increase the participation of men and boys in promoting gender equality is through their involvement in the family programmes. The Ministry of Women and Family Development through the National Population and Family Development Board implements various programmes that involve men and boys, including parenting and fatherhood programmes; the Peer Groups programme which focuses on the well being of adolescent as well as the role of men and boys in family development. Men are also encouraged to be volunteers in the Women Against Violence (WAVe) Campaign which at present has more than 1,990 volunteers. Apart from that, the Ministry through the National Population and Family Development Board launched the Smart Start Package: A Guide for Newly Weds programme in 2003 which emphasised on shared responsibilities and decision-making in a marriage. 10

11 Part Two: Progress in implementation of the critical areas of concern of the Beijing Platform for Action and the further initiatives and actions identified in the twenty-third special session of the General Assembly Provide (in no more than 10 pages) information on successful actions taken, achievements and impacts, and identify remaining obstacles, gaps and challenges for the critical areas of concern from the Platform for Action (with the exception of H: Institutional mechanisms for the advancement of women which is covered in Part Three) and the other key issues identified, including through the twenty-third special session of the General Assembly (Beijing+5). (See Annex III for the Strategic Objectives from the Beijing Platform for Action.) Additional issues over and above the critical areas of concern from the Platform for Action could include, for example, ICT, HIV/AIDS, financing for development, migration, trafficking, older women and indigenous women. Report on actions taken by the national machinery as well as work done by line ministries. Provide at least one example for each area outlining how line ministries have worked to give greater attention to gender perspectives and the concerns of women. Give examples of successful policies and programmes and include information on targets, strategies, impacts achieved and lessons learned. Provide information on gaps and challenges in the implementation of the gender mainstreaming strategy. Guiding questions The response could address, but does not need to be limited to, the issues outlined below: A. Examples of successful policies, legislative change and programmes and projects a) In relation to the critical areas of concern in the Platform for Action and other key issues, what successful actions (such as legal measures, policy reforms, media campaigns, and pilot programmes or projects) have been taken by the Government or other actors (NGOs, civil society, the private sector) to achieve these objectives. Legal measures and policy reforms: Please refer to answer in Part One. Media campaigns: The Women Against Violence or WAVe campaign was launched in July The aim of the campaign is to eliminate violence against the family, not just women. The modus operandi of the WAVe campaign includes networking among NGOs, relevant government agencies, the mass media and the public as well as organizing training courses for core trainers and volunteers to equip them with knowledge and skills in handling cases related to violence against women and children. By November 2001, the WAVe campaign was launched throughout the country. Volunteers were recruited to assist in manning one stop crisis centres (OSCC) at hospitals. The centres provide medical services for victims as well as counselling to women to cope with post 11

12 trauma syndrome. Counselling services are provided by para-counsellors. Currently, there are 15 centres located at general hospitals throughout the country. To equip the volunteers with knowledge and skills, a series of training programmes were conducted by the Department of Women Development in collaboration with the police, Department of Social Welfare and the hospital medical staff. To date, 30 trainers and 73 volunteers were trained. The police also conducts talks on violence against women to school children, students of institutes of higher learning, officers from relevant government agencies, non-governmental organizations and members of political parties. Workshops and seminars: The Ministry through the Department of Women Development in collaboration with the NGOs also conducted a series of workshop, courses, seminars, dialogues and campaigns on capacitybuilding. The Ministry also embarks on the annual celebration of Women s Day held on the 25 th August. Family Programmes: In July 2002, Malaysia launched the Family First: Bring Your Heart Home campaign to instil the sprit of awareness, putting family as a top priority in every Malaysian. The campaign consists of ten principles such as love and affection, happy together, effective communication, family values, effective parenting, balancing of work and family, health and security, family economy, education and skill and family friendly policy. The implementation of Family First programmes also includes, promotion and advocacy, education and training, research, support services and smart partnership. Apart from programmes such as parenting and fatherhood, the Ministry through the National Population and Family Development Board launched the Smart Start Package: A Guide for Newly Weds programme in 2003 which emphasised on shared responsibilities and decisionmaking in a marriage. Pilot Project: The Ministry of Women and Family Development has also launched a pilot project on gender budget analysis in July The aim of the project is to train officials in pilot ministries on gender budget analysis, in order to incorporate a gender perspective into the existing national budget to ensure that it is gender sensitive. The four pilot ministries are Ministry of Human Resources, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Health and Ministry of Rural Development. The project is implemented in phases with the ultimate objective of establishing a gender-sensitive national budget. Towards this end, a Gender Budget Analysis workshop was held in January 2004 to provide a comprehensive training for the pilot ministries officials in order to analyse the operating and development budget. Representatives from the pioneer ministries, consultative groups, and central government agencies participated in the workshop. As a follow up, all pioneer ministries will take into account the gender perspective when evaluating the budget for 2005 and for the development budget in the Ninth Malaysia Plan, Training will be 12

13 held from time to time together with the National Institute of Public Administration and the Finance Ministry. b) To what extent have specific commitments made by the Government at the Fourth World Conference on Women, in the National Action Plan, or in other contexts, been met? Malaysia has made tremendous efforts to fulfil its commitments at the Fourth World Conference on Women. While there has been a lot progress in many critical areas of concerns, such as poverty, health, education (as shown in Appendix 3), the achievement on the commitment to increase the participation of women in decision-making has been rather slow. Realizing this situation, the Government has implemented various programmes to enhance women s leadership skills as well as to create awareness among the society on the importance of women in decisionmaking positions. The Ministry of Women and Family Development is now in the process of gathering views and opinions on this matter for the purpose of setting up a reasonable quota in a move to increase the participation of women in decision-making. c) To what extent are gender perspectives and the concerns of women given attention in the follow-up to other global conferences, such as the World Conference on Human Rights (Vienna, 1993), the General Assembly Special Session on HIV/AIDS (New York, 2001); the World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance (Durban, 2001), the International Conference on Financing for Development (Monterrey, 2002), the Second World Assembly on Ageing (Madrid, 2002), and the World Summit on Sustainable Development (Johannesburg, 2002)? In Malaysia, a special unit known as the Economic Planning Unit, under the Prime Minister s Department and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs are entrusted to coordinate development issues at the international level. Opinions and views from the Ministry of Women and Family Development as well from the NGOs, when necessary, are sought on gender issues. At the international level, Malaysia s representatives participated actively in most of the above conferences and their preparatory meetings. Issues on gender have always been given attention by us. B. Examples of obstacles encountered and remaining gaps and challenges d) Describe the obstacles and gaps and challenges encountered in implementation in each critical area of concern and other key issues identified. Poverty: 13

14 Financial insecurity is the major impediment to the advancement of women, both in rural and urban areas, and single mothers. The government has introduced measures such as micro credit programme to assist women to come out of the grip of poverty. Women are given the opportunity to get access to capital, resources credit, land, technology, technical assistance and training, childcare facilities and support for working mothers, and measures to help single mothers obtain affordable housing. Education: Malaysia practices non-discriminatory education policy for girls and boys. However, the low enrolment of women in science and technology courses at the tertiary level remains an issue as the demand for graduates in sectors such as administration and management, and economic and finance is low. The Training and Attachment Programme for Unemployed Graduates was implemented in November 2001 to increase the employability and marketability of graduates. Graduates registered under the programme were attached to public and private sector agencies to gain work experience and were trained in areas such as ICT, the English language and research methodology. At the same time, the graduates were given the opportunity to be re-skilled in specialized areas including network system development, industrial automation engineering, analogue engineering, press tool and mould making as well as furniture manufacturing and design. An allocation of RM256.1 million was provided for this programme. Under the Package of New Strategies in 2003, a new retraining fund was established with an allocation of RM100 million for the re-training and re-skilling of new graduates in selected fields. Health: The unequal relationship between Malaysian men and women often limits women s ability to protect themselves against unwanted pregnancies and sexual transmitted diseases including HIV/AIDS. Breast and cervical cancer account for half of total cancer cases among women and the survival rates depend on early detection. The majority of women still do not undertake early cancer detection via self-examination or at reproductive health service centres. Insufficient sex-disaggregated data on women s health and their perceptions of available health services hamper efforts to improve the planning, monitoring and evaluation of health and healthrelated programmes, especially for chronic diseases. As an integral part of preventive and promotive health programme, the thematic healthy lifestyle campaign continued to focus on healthy behaviour. The campaign emphasized on the Promotion of Healthy Families in 2001 and Promotion of Healthy Environment in Four Health Promotion Community Resource Centres were established. These centers were equipped to provide general health information and educate the public on current health issues. The occupational safety health programme, which emphasized the creation of safer and healthier work culture and environment continued to be implemented. Besides that, the Action Plan on the Prevention of HIV/AIDS in the Workplace was also formulated. Gender-Based Violence: 14

15 Gender-based violence is one of the obstacles to the achievement of gender equality. In Malaysia training programmes related to preventing abuse and domestic violence, resolving conflicts, maintaining family harmony, understanding gender roles and expectation as well as counselling have been introduced and will continue to be implemented. Women in the Economy and decision-making: Cultural and institutional factors interfere to form barriers to women in the economic advancement. In the employment sector, it is a common observation that women face difficulties of having to perform and cope with multiple roles as wife, mother and worker. To enable women to integrate career with household duties, the Employment Act, 1955 will be amended to include new and flexible working arrangements such as teleworking, part-time work and job-sharing. The majority of female workers are involved in low-skilled and low-waged occupations. Women are also under represented in top managerial and decision making posts. Women often encounter the glass ceiling in promotion exercises to higher management level. The barrier is partly due to negative attitudes towards women, sex stereotyping and prejudices against women. The government carries out gender sensitization training to create and raise awareness among the society, men and women, including to the senior ranking officers in the civil service. The same obstacle is faced by women in politics and measures are being taken to change the stereotypical attitudes and perceptions of the society towards women in managerial and decision-making positions. C. Lessons learned e) Provide information on the main lessons learned in implementation in relation to each of the critical areas of concern and other key issues identified. Please refer to answer in Part Two, paragraph B(d). Part Three: Institutional Development Provide information (in no more than four pages) on any institutional mechanisms and arrangements put in place to support the follow-up and implementation of the Platform for Action and the outcome of the twenty-third special session of the General Assembly (Beijing+5). Address gaps and challenges as well as progress. Provide at least one good example of achievement and impact. (Information already provided in Parts One or Two should not be repeated here). Guiding questions The response could address, but does not need to be limited to, the issues outlined below: 15

16 a) What national mechanisms exist for the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women for example, ministry, national commission, parliamentary committee or commission? What mandates and resources does each body have and how do they work together? Describe the location of the national mechanisms and the access to decision-making processes. What are the main partners of the national mechanisms? What networks have been established and how effective are these networks? What resources do the national mechanisms have in terms of staff and financial support? What percentage of financial resources comes from international or bilateral donors? The institutional mechanism for the advancement of women in Malaysia was first established in 1978 as the Women s Affairs Division, which was further upgraded to Women s Affairs Department at the Ministry of National Unity and Social Development in In 1999, the Women s Affairs Department was transferred to the Prime Minister s Department. Recognizing the need to further enhance the effectiveness of the national machinery, the Women s Affairs Department was subsequently renamed as the Ministry of Women s Affairs followed by the Ministry of Women and Family Development (MWFD) in The ministry is headed by the Minister of Women and Family Development. There are two agencies under the ministry i.e. the Department of Women Development (DWD) and The National Population and Family Development Board (NPFDB). The DWD s primary objective is to enhance women s capabilities in contributing towards national development through the provision of efficient and effective support services and capacity development programmes. The main objective of the NPFDB is to support families through client-centred programmes and activities in population, family development and reproductive health. The establishment of the MWFD is to ensure the effective implementation and coordination of programmes for women and families as well as chart new directions for the advancement of women and to strengthen the institution of the family. The vision, mission and strategies of the MWFD are as follows: Vision - to achieve gender equality and stable family institution as a basis for social development towards the establishment of a developed nation Mission to mainstream women in nation building and strengthen the family system to establish a quality generation Short-term strategies: Disseminate information on facilities and services provided by various agencies and organisations beneficial to women and families; Enhance coordination between government agencies, NGOs, private sector and community in providing support and services to women and families; Establish and manage additional resources to alleviate pressing problems of the Ministry s target groups; and Provide follow-up programmes in a more organised manner to unsure the effectiveness of the service provided. 16

17 Long-term strategies: Ensure that gender and family perspectives are integrated into national policy; Increase public awareness of gender issues; Audit existing and related legislation and regulations to suitable to the needs of the target groups, especially women; Develop a complete gender disaggregated database for the purpose of planning and evaluation of target group programmes; Increase women s access to ICT to reduce digital divide; Provide education and training opportunities to women to meet the demands of a knowledgebased economy; Provide self-help and developmental programmes to increase women s opportunities to increase their social-economic standing; Strengthen R&D in gender, population, family development and reproductive health; Instill positive family values among families by working with government agencies and NGOs;Strengthen international networking to share information, experience and expertise; and Establish effective monitoring and evaluation mechanism to further improve policies and programme. As the national machinery for the advancement of women, the MWFD has been entrusted with the responsibility to incorporate gender perspectives into development. In this regard, the MWFD has established inter-ministerial committees to monitor and evaluate the implementation of the National Women Policy and National Plan of Action for the Advancement of Women as well as the implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action, Commonwealth Plan of Action on Gender and Development, Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and other international instruments endorsed or ratified by Malaysia. There is no specific focal point established within line ministries. However, in coordinating gender related programmes, assistance is gained from the planning and corporate section in the line ministries. The MWFD also provides assistance and establishes smart partnerships with other ministries in organizing seminars, workshops, training programmes and many other events related to achieving gender equality and empowerment of women. In addition, the MFWD also cooperates with other line ministries in carrying out researches on women. b) Have focal points for gender equality and empowerment of women been established within line ministries, and in which ministries? What support is provided from within the ministries? What support (training, advice etc.) is provided by the national machinery? How effective are these focal points? Please refer to answer in Part Three. c) What monitoring mechanisms have been established to measure progress in implementation? How is accountability for promotion of gender equality and empowerment of women established 17

18 across all ministries? How is coordination achieved? What role does the highest level of Government play? Please refer to answer to Part Three. d) What levels of capacity for promoting gender mainstreaming have been achieved? Through which mechanisms? What are the remaining challenges in the area of capacity building? Please refer to answer in Part Three, paragraph (a). e) Has a core set of indicators been established and where is responsibility for monitoring located? What gaps and challenges remain in relation to data and statistics? In which areas is lack of sex-disaggregation still a problem? In which areas do new types of data need to be collected? To what extent are the national statistical office and the statistical units in line ministries aware, committed and capable of providing the required data? In which sectors, and to what extent, is sex-disaggregated data being used effectively to inform policy-making and planning? The Ministry of Women and Family Development has developed the Gender Disaggregated Database Information System (GDIS). The GDIS provides data for gender analysis and planning and it is used as a tool to develop gender responsive policies, strategies and programmes. The GDIS is currently being developed as a prototype and data collection will be expanded from time to time together with the cooperation of line ministries and Department of Statistics. f) Provide information on the roles of different stakeholders. For example, what role does Parliament play in the promotion and monitoring of gender equality and women s empowerment? How could this role be strengthened? Describe the role of NGOs in planning and implementing the follow-up activities. Do NGOs participate formally in the mechanisms established to follow up the Fourth World Conference on Women? Members of parliament participate in the discussion on women issues during the debate in the Parliament with the Minister of Women and Family Development. This has contributed to awareness raising on gender issues, obstacles encountered and lessons learnt not only to the members of parliament but also to the society at large, as issues debated in the parliament will be disseminated to the public through the media. Based on the fact that women issues are crosscutting issues, the role of the Parliamentarians could be strengthened by getting them involved in carrying out programmes and activities for the development of women at the grass root level in their constituencies. The NGOs, especially women NGOs in Malaysia participate informally and formally in the mechanisms on the advancement of women established by the government. 18