Community Development Essay

Achieving gender equality and empowering women be necessary to achieve social, economic and political development. Today, girls and women continue to benefit from wellness and education services with women surpassing men in enrolment and academic achievements in m whatever situations. Women in Malaysia are also more actively knotty today in politics and numerous other national initiatives. Malaysias commitment and dedication to the advancement of women is evident in many of its programs and policies in the exsert two decades.In 1985, the Government of Malaysia formulated the National polity on Women as a guide for womens participation in the development process. The Policy helps elicit womens quality of life by overcoming challenges through poverty eradication and education. The stature of women became a primary objective of the 6th Malaysia Plan (1991 1995), where a special fund for the development of women became a significant and integral step towards empowering women in Mala ysia. Subsequent Malaysia Plans continue to focus on the needs of women with recommendations to advance their puzzle in society.By agreeing to the commitments set forth in the Beijing Platform for Action at the UN Fourth World Conference on Women (1995), the Government promised to 1) enhance the national machinery for womens advancement 2) make up womens participation in decision-making 3) safeguard womens rights to health, education and social well being and 4) remove levelheaded obstacles and gender discriminatory practices. In 1995, the Government also ratified the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women(CEDAW). In 2001, the Government created the Ministry of Women and Family training with a mandate to address issues on women and uplift the stature of women in the country.Malaysias Constitution was amended in August 2001 to prohibit discrimination in any law on the basis of gender. The Government continues to play a crucial and supportive role in achieving greater gender equality in the country, by providing a healthy environment for the advancement of women at both national and international arenas. The Ministry of Women, Family and Community phylogeny which is responsible for addressing womens issues in Malaysia has had its budget increase from RM 1.8 million (US$ 0.5 million) in 2001 to RM 30.5 million (US$ 8.6 million) in 2005, demonstrating the countrys serious commitment to the cause.Future challenges to be considered include addressing the continued poverty among female-headed households combating violence against women cosmetic surgery the effectiveness of gender mainstreaming strategies reducing womens risk of contracting HIV removing attitudinal challenges that impact capacity-building and raising the level of womens participation in the labour force, in business and in politics and government.KPWKM is headed by a Minister, currently held by Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil (UMNO). She is assisted by a D eputy Minister, currently held by Senator Heng Seai Kie (MCA). The following departments and agencies are under the purview of the KPWKM* Department for Womens DevelopmentIn 1975, the Government set up the National Advisory Council on the Integration of Women in Development (NACIWID) as the machinery to ensure the involvement of women in development. In 1983, the Secretariat for Womens Affairs (HAWA) in the Prime Ministers Department was established to intromit over the tasks of the NACIWID Secretariat. From 1997, HAWA functioned as a department under the former Ministry of National Unity and Social Development. In 2001, the Department was placed under the then pertly established KPWKM and restructured as the Department for Womens Development (DWD). By 2002, the DWD had set up branch offices in every state in Malaysia.7* Social public assistance DepartmentInitially set up in 1946 as the Community Welfare Department of Malaya, the Social Welfare Department (SWD) has evolved in ful filling its role in national development. From initially being involved in mitigating the social problems brought about by the immediate post-war period, the role and functions of this department have expanded to cover bar and rehabilitation services in social issues as well as community development.8* National Population and Family Development BoardThe National Population and Family Development Board (NPFDB) was established in 1966 to improve the reproductive health status of women and men and encourage family planning. It has since evolved to include policy and advisory roles by assisting planners and programme managers to contain population and family development into sectoral development programme planning as well as facilitate policy makers to consider population and family development factors in the cooking of national development policies and strategies.9* Social Institute of MalaysiaThe Social Institute of Malaysia was set up to promote professional and semi-professional training in the field of training and seek as well as social education to all social workers from various levels and groups from within and outside the country including non-governmental organizations. It currently operates from a 50-acre (200,000 m2) campus in Sungai Besi that was finish in 2001.