Malaysia submits sixth periodic report to CEDAW

PUTRAJAYA: Malaysia has submitted the sixth periodic report on the implementation of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) to the CEDAW Committee on April 25.

The Women, Family and Community Development Ministry in a statement today said the report covers Malaysia's progress from 2017 to 2021 with updates on policies, initiatives and concrete measures to eliminate discrimination against women.

The ministry has prepared the report in consultation with its multiple stakeholders namely the various ministries and civil society to ensure it responds to recommendations by the CEDAW Committee, it said.

"This report is a testament of Malaysia's commitment to implement the provisions under CEDAW while upholding the rights of women in line with the Federal Constitution, national legislation and policies," the statement read.

The ministry said Malaysia has been making progress in fine tuning its domestic policies with the provisions of the Convention despite the many challenges faced, such as recovering from the global pandemic in 2020 and 2021.

This includes measures taken to prevent violence against women, improve the status of women and provide support to women during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"The government is committed to carrying out efforts to ensure a conducive environment for women to advance and achieve their full potential without being discriminated," it added.

During the five-year period, the ministry said it had adopted an integrated approach to mainstream gender by ensuring collaborative contribution from the civil society and public in the preparation, implementation and monitoring of all government policies and programmes.

-- BERNAMA