Kota Kinabalu: Drugs and online gambling are both forms of addiction that are breaking up families and causing the collapse of family institutions.
Minister of Community Development & People’s Wellbeing Datuk James Bin Ratib (pic) said many cases have been received by the Royal Malaysian Police (PDRM) especially regarding online gambling.
“This is very worrying because it can neglect our responsibilities towards our families and spend money that should be used for family needs.
window.googletag = window.googletag || {cmd: []};googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.defineSlot('/22826383987/dailyexpress_inline', [1, 1], 'gpt-passback').addService(googletag.pubads());googletag.enableServices();googletag.display('gpt-passback');});“These gamblers will also always be burdened with debt which can contribute to family fights.
“I call on the authorities to take this matter seriously because it can destroy family families and Malaysian society in general,” he said.
James said cases of family breakdown and domestic violence also stem from drug abuse.
“Statistics by the Department of Social Welfare (JKM) from 2015 to 2018 show that 83 percent of the 309 cases of domestic violence are caused by drug addiction.
James added that issues related to divorce, fights over child custody and various other things are always highlighted as signs of shortcomings in the family institution in Malaysia.
He said the government is working to curb this problem while providing scientific enlightenment or legal advice through legal clinics and legal literacy slots.
“For example, the Sabah Women’s Legal Aid Centre service supervised by the Sabah Women’s Affairs Department (Jhewa) provides free legal assistance for Syariah, Civil and Native Court cases, especially those involving family cases.”
“Jhewa has received almost 200 cases especially involving rural communities and it is hoped that this initiative will leave a positive impact for the betterment of our community,” he said.
James added the Santuni Wanita Outreach Program is a continuation of the new flagship initiative of a high-impact project in the human capital sector and people’s well-being in line with the direction of the KPMKR for the years 2021-2025 under the Sabah Maju Jaya (SMJ) Plan.
