KUCHING: The domestic violence cases recorded a decrease with 5,507 cases reported last year (2023), said Women, Family, and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri.
She said that based on the statistics from the police, the number of cases had declined by 1,033 compared to 6,540 cases in 2022.
Nancy, however, said the decrease was due to many cases that were not reported as it was considered a family or personal problem.
"Most domestic violence cases are committed by individuals known to the victims such as husband, ex-husband or boyfriend.
"This has caused the cases not to be reported as it is considered a family or personal problem, and there are also victims who do not know how to lodge a report," she said in her speech at Program Semarak Skuad Waja Negeri Sarawak today.
Present at the event were the National Population and Family Development Board (LPPKN) chairman Datuk Seri Rohani Abdul Karim and the Women Development Department (JPW) director-general Dr Wan Nur Ibtisam Wan Ismail.
Nancy said violence against women is a universal issue that occurs worldwide that transcends the boundaries of religion, race and culture.
She said the victims often choose not to report the violence experienced because of fear of the perpetrator and social pressure from family or friends.
"The awareness and understanding of the issue of domestic violence is important to ensure the harmony and well-being of society is achieved.
"As such, the establishment of the Skuad Waja (Waja Squad) is a positive step to form and develop a good collaboration between the government and society to overcome the issue of violence against women.
"The Waja Squad volunteer programme, under JPW, aims to empower the community by providing psychosocial guidance and implementing community activities," she said.
Nancy said the programme covers various aspects such as well-being, leadership, security, and economy to raise awareness of crimes against women.
"The Waja Squad functions as an agent of change that increases women's knowledge on legal matters, criminal modus operandi and actions that need to be taken.
"Knowledge sharing and activities of the Waja Squad can make them independent, brave, and sensitive to the needs of the community," she said.
She added that the squad also acts as a reference source for the community in dealing with violence against women and helps victims to refer cases to the authorities and seek professional help.
Since its establishment in 2021 until December last year, the Waja Squad has had a total of 329,221 members, of which 254,506 of them are women and 74,715 are men.