Tackling domestic violence

ISKANDAR PUTERI: The Women, Family and Community Development Ministry is planning to introduce a course for married couples as part of efforts to prevent domestic violence.

“We are looking into making it compulsory for married couples to take the course after they get married, ” said its minister Datuk Seri Rina Mohd Harun.

The course, she said, was being suggested for all couples, including non-Muslims.

“The marriage course is aimed at strengthening the family institution and to address domestic problems in a marriage, ” she said.

Currently, she said couples, especially those who are Muslims, were only required to go through a marriage course before their wedding “but after they tie the knot, there are no such courses”.

“We are looking into providing a suitable course for couples, including a parenting course, ” she told reporters yesterday after launching the Tanjung Pelepas Port (PTP) Pink Prime Movers and its Female Employees Referral programme in conjunction with International Women’s Day tomorrow.

Rina was asked about the death of a clerk in Kota Tinggi who is believed to have been killed by her husband in a fit of rage on Monday.

She said the Welfare Department was in the process of getting a court order for the custody of the couple’s two children, aged three and four.

Rina, who described the case as a tragedy, said there was an immediate need to address domestic problems among married couples.

“It has happened before and that is the reality of marriages, ” she said.

On a separate matter, she said the ministry was working closely with the private sector to have at least 10,000 women employed in various industries by the end of this year.

She said at least 10 companies, including PTP, would be part of the collaboration to provide employment opportunities to women, especially those who lost their jobs due to the movement control order.