According to a new survey by two United Nations agencies, socio-economic conditions for nearly half the low income families in the capital city’s public flats deteriorated further throughout the last quarter of 2020 as the COVID-19 pandemic and movement curbs pushed unemployment up.
The study jointly held by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) found that joblessness among heads of households doubled to 15 percent in December 2020 compared to just three months earlier while one in three adults in participating households are still without work.
According to a representative for Unicef in Malaysia and Special Representative to Brunei Darussalam, Dr Rashed Mustafa Sarwar, “the latest data from the ‘Families on the Edge’ survey suggests that while some families have started to recover, others have regressed and were close to ‘breaking point’.”
‘We need to reimagine social protection for the most vulnerable in Malaysia, including through an expansion of coverage of income support for low income families, provision of targeted livelihoods support, particularly for the self-employed,” said the agency in a statement.
In addition to that, further income reduction by the same month were also reported by the participants. The survey highlighted that female-headed households and households headed by persons with disabilities (PWD) were among the hardest hit by the pandemic. The income level for the two sub-groups fell by up to a fourth and a third, respectively, compared to December 2019 while their healthy male counterparts fared slightly better.
Still, the overall poverty rate among the participants stood at 42 percent in December. The rates were higher among PWD-headed households and female-headed households, at 55 and 61 percent respectively.
60 percent of households surveyed said they had difficulties buying basic goods and services. Meanwhile, 57 percent of the study reported that they were unable to purchase sufficient food, whereas, 56 percent claimed they were unable to pay bills on time. The rate was higher among female household heads and PWD with up to 64 and 58 per cent reporting having trouble affording food and 60 and 47 per cent unable to pay bills.
Najib Assifi, UNFPA Representative in Malaysia, said the worsening economy is fast changing the social dynamics of these families. Households that reported a loss of hope that their situation would improve rose from 37 percent in September to 41per cent in December last year. Only 10 percent said they expect their financial status to be better, a reduction from 14 percent during the same period the previous year.
PWDs households were found to be the most pessimistic. One in two said they expect their financial situation to worsen over the next six months, a rate almost unchanged compared to September. “With increased pessimism further exacerbating mental health issues, it begins to shape unhealthy living environments; psychologically and sometimes physically,” he noted.
“None are more affected than children, those with chronic illnesses, the disabled and of course those who care for them".
Source: Malay Mail
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