Caretaker State Social Development and Non-Islamic Religious Affairs Committee chairman Chong Eng (left) and PWDC chief executive officer Ong Bee Leng with the Geospatial World Excellence Award.
FIRST Support Point, introduced by the Penang state government through the Penang Women’s Development Corporation (PWDC) at state constituency service centres, religious organisations and non-governmental organisations (NGOs), is an on-going initiative to assist domestic violence victims at the quickest possible time.
It was initiated in February 2021 to send a strong message that the state does not tolerate domestic violence and will find ways to ensure the safety and security of its people.
Made possible with the assistance of Women’s Centre for Change (WCC), the state Economic Planning Unit, NGOs and other relevant bodies under the Penang Safe Family Policy, the policy is led by caretaker State Social Development and Non-Islamic Religious Affairs Committee chairman Chong Eng.
Filepic of caretaker State Social Development and Non-Islamic Religious Affairs Committee chairman Chong Eng (third from right) talking to the participants attending the first Penang Safe Family Policy workshop at Jen Hotel Penang in September 2020.
She had highlighted during an interview that 343 domestic violence cases were reported in 2020 compared to 226 cases in 2019 in Penang.
"Cases had increased during the movement control order (MCO) period and this was why we envisioned to set up the First Support Point at every 2km for the victims to seek immediate help.
“Victims or anyone can identify the nearest First Support Point location through the Penang Stops Violence mobile app," she noted.
In 2022, PWDC and Penang Geographic Information System Centre (PeGIS) were awarded the Geospatial World Excellence Award in Amsterdam for its Penang Stops Violence mobile app. The app can be downloaded on Play Store and App Store.
Chong added that the answer to tackling domestic violence was not by setting up more shelters but by changing the mindset of the victim and the surrounding community.
"The victim must first think of saving herself while the community should transform their mindset as to how we can help save a victim's life," she said.
On another initiative, Chong spoke about Penang's vision to become an age-friendly city by 2025.
Recently, the Penang Island City Council (MBPP) was chosen by the Penang government to implement the age-friendly initiative introduced by WHO to promote the well-being of the elderly, increase their social and economic participation and create a more sustainable and liveable community.
(From third left) Penang Women’s Development Corporation chief executive officer Ong Bee Leng, caretaker State Social Development and Non-Islamic Religious Affairs Committee chairman Chong Eng, caretaker Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow during the exchanging of the memorandum of agreement (MoA) with Malaysia Healthy Ageing Society (MHAS) represented by its president Prof Dr Shahrul Bahyah Kamaruzzaman for the Roadmap for Active Ageing cause.
Data obtained from the Statistics Department shows that the population aged 60 and over will increase from 14.87% in 2020 to 26.20% by 2040.
To prepare for the increase, MBPP and PWDC signed a public-private partnership for three years with consultant Malaysian Healthy Ageing Society (MHAS) to implement the Age-Friendly City Project.
"The project will cost RM400,000 which will be borne by the Penang government through PWDC. The three-year project had started in November 2022 and is expected to be completed in November 2025,” Chong said.
Present during the interview, PWDC chief executive officer Ong Bee Leng said Penang strives to be a city friendly for women and men of all ages.
"In 2022, the Penang government, MBPP, Penang Buddhist Tzu Chi Merits Society and PWDC had jointly established a community centre at Padang Tembak to hold various classes in line with the Age-Friendly City initiative," Ong said.
Much progress has also been made towards gender equality and social justice with the strategic partnership of MBPP and the Seberang Prai City Council (MBSP).
The implementation of the Gender Responsive and Participatory Budgeting (GRPB) methodology in their initiatives and projects has proven to be instrumental in creating a more inclusive society.
