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A NEW shelter, primarily for abused Muslim women, is in the works, thanks to a concerned group stepping forward.
Called Casa Raudha Women's Shelter, the 40-bed shelter will complement three shelters which take in abused women to protect them from abusive husbands, partners and other family members.
These other shelters cater to all races and religions. They are run by the Good Shepherd Sisters, the Anglican mission and the Singapore Council of Women's Organisations (SCWO).
The idea for the new shelter came after discussions among a group comprising a school principal, a police inspector, a lawyer, a social worker, and a doctor, among others.
Led by Mr Hamzah Abdul Mutalib, 53, a businessman, the group formed a pro-tem committee in February. It visited welfare homes and facilities run by Muslim groups.
Mr Hamzah's group found that at least one in five of the 360 residents in the welfare homes visited were Muslim women. Also, the three existing shelters for abused women were full most of the time.
'There is a need for our proposed shelter. Casa Raudha will also offer its facilities to non-Muslim women to complement the other shelters,' said Mr Hamzah.
Its patron, MP Madam Halimah Yacob, said women at the shelter will be able to pick up skills to empower them.
'Domestic violence is a national issue. We need to leverage on national resources while self-help groups step forward to give the additional help and perspectives to rehabilitate the victim,' said Madam Halimah, who is also the National Trade Union Congress' Assistant Secretary-General.
Welcoming the proposed new shelter, SCWO's president Mrs Wee Wan Joo, said it will plug a service gap as its own secular 22-bed Star Shelter has hardly seen a Malay Muslim case.
The nine-member pro-tem Casa Raudha committee has the support of the Ministry of Community Development and Sports, the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (Muis) and Mendaki, the self-help group for Malays.
A big challenge, said Mr Hamzah, is to find a suitable site offering privacy and safety for residents. It also has to raise funds and is looking for community support.
A further daunting task, said a social worker, would be for the Muslim community to engage men in this effort to stem family violence.
Read the full report in Tuesday's edition of The Straits Times.
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