By Zareef Muzammil
SHAH ALAM, July 13 — Up to 12 percent of the 80 calls received through the Talian SELamat hotline from November to last Friday were cases of abuse or economic neglect.
Wanita Berdaya Selangor (WBS) Wanita Berdaya Selangor (WBS) Siti Kamariah Ahmad Subki said the calls are due to the impact of the rising costs of goods and living nd in recent times.
"We receive many cases like this when contrasted to physical abuse, as some families are affected by rising living costs, to the point the husband abandons his wife and children without a word.
"When this family is left without alimony money, it is called economic abuse," she told SelangorKini.
Siti Kamariah added that most of the calls came from urban poor women between the ages of 44 and 55, but there was also one case involving a nine-year-old child.
She said the case will be referred to the Pusat Wanita Berdaya (PWB) area supervisor, the local elected representative, and the community service center.
"Basic food aid will be channelled immediately. If they are single mothers they can be considered for the Kasih Ibu Smart Selangor (Kiss) initiative.
"However, the problem is that women who are economically abused are commonly not single mothers who still have married status," Siti Kamariah said.
Those in need of help or are aware of those who need help can contact Talian SELamat at 03-64195027.
On June 9, 2021, Menteri Besar Dato' Seri Amirudin Shari said RM100,000 in funds have been allocated to develop the special hotline, as part of the Kita Selangor 2.0 Package.
The 24-hour line is operated by WBS personnel alongside a group of volunteers.
