PUTRAJAYA: The Gender Equality Bill, which seeks to level the economic playing field in Malaysia, is in the process of being drafted.
Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail said a special task force set up a year ago for the purpose had had 16 consultation sessions so far.
She said the parties involved include the Foreign Ministry, Malaysian Islamic Development Department as well as academics and experts.
“This consultations will be extended and will involve more stakeholders,” she told reporters at the launch of ‘Safer Internet Day’ (SID) 2020 here today.
She said the government was at the same time also focusing on drafting a bill on sexual harassment, which was expected to be tabled in the upcoming parliament session in March.
In December Dr Wan Azizah said a special tribunal would be featured in the proposed Sexual Harassment Act.
Dr Wan Azizah, who is also Women, Community and Family Development Minister, said the government viewed the issue of cyber threats seriously.
“We acknowledge that children use social media, open education platforms apps and other forms of social interaction platforms, and as a result are exposed to pornography, child grooming and sexting that have become troublingly rampant.
“A DiGi CyberSAFE2015 survey found that one in four children surveyed would agree to meet a stranger from the internet. Even though this is only 25 per cent, it is very worrisome to me.”
She said a survey on internet users in 2018 by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) found that 37.6 per cent of adults were not aware of the parental monitoring tools available to them.