By Yasmin Ramlan
SHAH ALAM, Nov 21 — State executive councillor for women empowerment and welfare Anfaal Shaari is challenging state subsidiaries to take the lead to greater participation rate among the women, aiming at empowering women in the workforce.
“The state government also urged its subsidiaries, particularly those under Menteri Besar Selangor (Incorporated) and the Selangor State Development Corporation, to adopt strategies aimed at empowering women in the workforce.
“Main initiatives include setting up childcare centres at workplaces, implementing flexible work arrangements for parents, granting paternity and maternity leave, and launching ‘career comeback programme to support women returning to work after a career break,” she said during a wind-up speech at the Selangor State Legislative Assembly today.
She said those were among the state’s initiatives to reduce the gap between men and women in the workforce, with the current Labour Force Participation Rate in Selangor stands at 69.9 per cent for women compared to 83.5 per cent for men.
“To address this gap, the state government provides financial assistance to help parents reduce the cost of childcare at nurseries,” she said.
This includes initiatives such as MamaKerja, Asuh Pintar, and Tunas.
She also responds to the allocation for women’s empowerment that has decreased from RM4 million in 2024 to RM2.4 million, pointing out that the issue is being taken seriously.
“Discussions will be held with the state financial officer to ensure that the funding for the committee for women and family affairs remains at least like how it used to be,” she said.
Meanwhile, she also addressed the state government’s concerns regarding issues involving premarital pregnancies among teenagers.
“According to the latest statistics from the Selangor Health Department, there were 799 cases of premarital pregnancies among teenagers in Selangor in 2023.
“As of September 2024, the state recorded 555 cases, with 13 cases in the 10-14 age group, 157 cases in the 15-17 age group, and 385 cases in the 18-19 age group,” she said.
She emphasised that this year, the government launched the Child Protection Advocacy programme in collaboration with the state Social Welfare Department, the state Education Department, police, and Malaysian Communication and Multimedia.
