Wide range of assistance for women

THIS month marks two years since the World Health Organisation declared Covid-19 as a pandemic, and the implementation of the first movement control order (MCO) in Malaysia to limit the spread of the disease.

The establishment of the National Recovery Council (NRC) on June 1, 2021 to oversee the implementation of the National Recovery Plan (NRP) was a good move.

Preliminary findings indicate that Covid-19 has resulted in more male fatalities compared to females. But this will not help to bridge the inequality gap between men and women. In fact, it has only widened that gap, and more women will be pushed into extreme poverty than men.

Many women around the world lost their jobs as economies declined and businesses failed due to the impact of the pandemic. As nearly 60% of women work in the informal economy, which pays less, they tend to have less savings compared to men and are thus at a greater risk of falling into poverty.

A study on the socioeconomic and mental well-being of 500 low-income households in Kuala Lumpur by Unicef Malaysia found that 51% of employed females neither contribute to the Employees Provident Fund (EPF) nor are protected by Socso.

One in two female head of households surveyed were found to be living below the absolute poverty line, with 71% having no savings at all. Considering that matters were already tough before the Covid-19 pandemic, this means more women are now living in persistent hardcore poverty.

As families and communities bear the strain, girls are more likely than boys to be taken out of school, and they would be at risk of early or forced marriage, gender-based violence, sexual exploitation and unwanted pregnancy.

The proposals announced by Finance Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz in his Budget 2022 speech to provide assistance for women are therefore welcome.

The government has allocated RM230mil in financing aids such as MARA’s Special Business Financing Scheme for Women (DanaNITA) and Tekunita (under Tekun Nasional) to help women entrepreneurs whose businesses were affected by the pandemic.

Under the MyKasih Capital programme, RM6.25mil has been allocated to encourage women to generate income from home.

The Women Leadership Foundation received a total of RM5mil in cash aid to improve the livelihoods of women through leadership training and entrepreneurship programmes.

The government will also continue to focus on working mothers with RM30mil being allocated for child nursery facilities at public buildings and hospitals. It is also extending individual income tax relief of up to RM3,000 for daycare and kindergarten fees until 2023.

We hope these aids will reach those who need them the most.

EMINDER SONI

Kuala Lumpur