Recognising social work as an essential profession in Malaysia

A social worker helps a family find solutions for their daughter to stay in school and for the mother to be able to support the family. Photo: Unicef

Arlene (not her real name) was five-months pregnant, on the phone seeking help from a social worker, when her abusive husband started hitting her.

The social worker from Women’s Centre for Change (WCC) in Penang immediately contacted the police who rescued Arlene and arrested her husband. The social worker then brought Arlene to the hospital for a medical check-up, and with a letter from both the hospital and police, was able to arrange for Arlene to go to her relative’s home in a different state during the movement control order (MCO) period.