Laws against women discrimination in the works: Rohani

KUALA LUMPUR: Laws to deal with discrimination against women is in the works, said Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Rohani Abdul Karim (pix).
“We are currently enacting a Gender Equality Act. We have been doing a lot of engagement to solidify our aim to draft the act,” Rohani told the Dewan Rakyat.
Rohani was responding to Teo Nie Ching (DAP-Kulai) who urged the government to improve laws to better protect women from discrimination in workplace.
Rohani, who is also the Batang Lupar MP added the ministry is looking at ways to improve other laws such as the Employment Act, the Pensions Act, the Penal Code, and the Domestic Violence Act to accommodate the proposed gender equality law.
The statements made by Rohani however contradicts with her previous statement where she said new legislation to address gender discrimination was unnecessary as the government preferred to use persuasion methods instead.
“For us, persuasive methods are more effective in the long run as we prefer to achieve our aims through cooperation and collaboration.
“We can have laws but I see that what we are doing now through our policies and programmes are proceeding well,” she was quoted as saying by an English day in March.