Domestic Violence Cases In Selangor Continue To Rise, State Exco Urges Public To Use Hotline

By Ahmad Hamizan  •  30 Nov 2021 in News

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The new normal we all find ourselves in looks set to continue for the foreseeable future.

With work from home now commonplace in many industries, not to mention the emergence of the new Omicron variant, people are spending more time at home than ever before.

However, one worrying consequence of this is that cases of domestic violence are also on the rise.

In Selangor, it was revealed that a staggering 1,519 cases has been recorded in the first ten months of this year alone.

This represents a 12% increase from the whole of 2020, where 1,349 domestic violence cases were reported.

Before the pandemic struck, there were 1,159 incidences in 2019, while 951 were recorded in 2018.

While the uptrend should send the alarm bells ringing throughout the state, it is widely believed that the actual number is much higher.

This is due to the reluctance of victims to come forward, in part due to the societal stigma that comes from seeking help.

In response, the Selangor state government has created a public hotline.

“Following the increase in cases, the state government has taken some initiatives including creating the SELamat hotline for the public to complain on the domestic violence cases happening, particularly in Selangor,” said state exco Dr Siti Mariah Mahmud.

Since its introduction on 1 November, Dr Siti says the hotline has received 14 calls in total, with half of them involving physical, psychological, as well as economic abuse by partners.

The helpline offers callers the option of either face-to-face or online counselling, as well as assisting interventions by both government and non-governmental organisations.

If you are the victim of domestic violence, or know somebody who is, you can contact the SELamat helpline at 03-64195027. Alternatively, you can also contact the Women’s Aid Organisation at 03-30008858, or the government’s Talian Kasih at 15999.