SHAH ALAM: Early intervention from the public is the key to ensuring domestic violence victims get the help they need.
Selangor police chief Comm Datuk Hussein Omar Khan said time was what made the difference between life and death for some of these victims.
"This is the reason why members of the public, especially neighbours, must do their part if they suspect someone is being tortured or abused.
"The common view that domestic violence is a family or personal problem is outdated and needs to be changed," he told reporters after attending the War on Domestic Violence Seminar at Kompleks Karangkraf here on Wednesday (Sept 13).
He said that Selangor recorded the highest number of domestic violence cases nationwide with 813 cases reported from January to August this year.
"Women made up most of the victims with 352 cases followed by relatives and siblings (177 cases) and men with 121 cases recorded.
"These domestic violence cases involved 593 causing injury cases, 153 intimidation cases and 49 committing mischief cases," he said.
He said that Gombak was the district with the highest number of cases of domestic violence with 147 reported from January to August.
"This was followed by Kajang (91 cases) and Petaling Jaya (79 cases) while the districts with the lowest cases were Shah Alam (21 cases), Sabak Bernam (25 cases) and Sungai Buloh (26 cases)," he said.
Comm Hussein also stressed that there were three notable domestic violence cases in August and September that led to the death of victims in Serdang, Kajang and Petaling Jaya.
"The first case was a boy who was abused by his mother and her boyfriend. The second was a husband who abused his wife, while the third case was of a man who beat his father to death.
"Therefore, we should change the notion of 'minding your own business' as the longer these victims are left in this situation the greater the danger they may face," he said adding that one of the main challenges his personnel face in investigating such cases was if there was a delay in reporting.
He explained that delays in reporting these cases made it difficult for them to gather evidence.
