Stalking causes mental and emotional distress and disrupts the lives of victims as well as those around them. Photo: AZMAN GHANI/ The Star
A third of Malaysians (36%) surveyed have experienced stalking that caused them to be afraid; 17% say they experienced stalking that involved actual harm and 12% were stalked and threatened harm. And, they want a law that protects them from being stalked and harassed, a survey by the Women s Aid Organisation (WAO), titled Understanding Malaysians Experiences of Stalking, has revealed.
The survey of 1,008 Malaysians, conducted in September this year, further showed that 88% of Malaysians have experienced acts associated with stalking which included unwanted emails, chats and messages (76%), phone calls (72%), approached at the homes, workplace or school (33%), sent unwanted gifts, flowers or messages (28%) among other acts.
December 15, 2020
Women wait at a bus station in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Reuters
Women and children have been hardest-hit by coronavirus restrictions in Malaysia, experts say, with domestic violence and calls to abortion helplines both increasing during lockdown.
Women’s groups reported a threefold increase in distress calls over the past year, while a reproductive rights group said calls from women seeking access to safe abortions increased nearly 50 per cent over 2020 compared to 2019.
The Women’s Aid Organisation reported a 150 per cent increase in calls to its hotline and an 80 per cent increase in messages to its WhatsApp distress channel from the same period last year.
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THE impact of the Covid-19 pandemic necessitated changes to adapt to the new norm of daily economic activities across all industries, including both life insurance and family takaful, and also, in the way people work and live.
As a company with a business purpose of empowering people to achieve lifetime financial security and live healthier lives, that certainly rang true for Sun Life Malaysia with its business strategies strengthened to ensure the health and safety of its community were safeguarded during these difficult times while navigating through uncharted waters this year.
‘There has been an increased awareness on the importance of health and financial protection, with COVID-19 being a motivating factor for Malaysians to safeguard themselves and their loved ones,’ said Sun Life Malaysia chief executive officer and president/country head, Raymond Lew.
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