Drop in domestic violence cases during Kaamatan
Published on: Thursday, August 25, 2016
Kota Kinabalu: There is usually a spike in domestic violence, sexual abuse and rape cases involving women and children during the Harvest Festival month, head of Sabah Medical Emergency Service, Dr Ahmad Hashim, said Wednesday.But he said the numbers have decreased in the last two years as a result of awareness campaigns by health authorities and other stakeholders, including the Native Court."During the Harvest Festival we usually expect a spike in cases. But these have decreased in the last two years mainly due to our campaigns," he said when asked if the cases were related to excessive alcohol consumption.
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He confirmed that there was no increase in cases during other festivals like Christmas.There has also been an overall decrease in domestic violence cases in Sabah but still not to the level that anyone can shout about.Dr Ahmad disclosed that in 2015 there were 544 cases reported as compared to 700 in 2014. "Our target is to further lower the number of cases by continuing our effort to reach out to the communities," he pledged.
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He was met during the One Stop Crisis Centre (OSCC) Symposium 2016 jointly organised by the Health Ministry, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, OSCC Malaysia Provider, Sabah Emergency Medical Association and the Emergency and Trauma Department of Queen Elizabeth Hospital. Community Development and Consumer Affairs Assistant Minister Datuk Anita Baranting officiated the event on behalf of Women, Family and Community Development Deputy Minister Datuk Azizah Mohd Dun.
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With the theme "Break the Silence, End the Violence", the two-day symposium aims to increase public awareness about the OSCC services and to build closer cooperation among the relevant agencies and other stakeholders in order to better deal with domestic violence and sexual abuse cases.When asked whether the decrease in number of cases was due to victims failing to lodge a report to the relevant authorities, Dr Ahmad said: "It's possible."But he hopes that when they start to move in as a team to the communities, there will be greater awareness that being silent does not help in ending violence. He said the main reason why victims keep silent is due to fear of their safety. He said the ongoing campaigns are organised through all the 23 OCSS centres which are located in district hospitals throughout the State.He also said they will be reaching out to schools and organise courses for teachers on the issue including how to detect students who might be a victim of domestic violence and sexual abuse.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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