| Agency Name: | Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development |
| Nativename: | Kementerian Pembangunan Wanita, Keluarga dan Masyarakat |
| Native Name A: | (KPWKM) |
| Seal: | File:Coat of arms of Malaysia.svg |
| Type: | Ministry |
| Preceding1: | Ministry of Women and Family Development |
| Jurisdiction: | Government of Malaysia |
| Headquarters: | KPWKM Tower, Persiaran Perdana, Precinct 4, Federal Government Administrative Centre, 62100 Putrajaya |
| Employees: | 7,888 (2017) |
| Budget: | MYR 1,976,910,100 (2017) |
| Minister1 Name: | Nancy Shukri |
| Minister1 Pfo: | Minister of Women, Family and Community Development |
| Deputyminister1 Name: | Noraini Ahmad |
| Deputyminister1 Pfo: | Deputy Minister of Women, Family and Community Development |
| Chief1 Name: | Dr. Maziah Che Yusoff |
| Chief1 Position: | Secretary-General |
| Chief2 Name: | Mohd Yusri Mohd Yusoff |
| Chief2 Position: | Deputy Secretary-General (Operations) |
| Chief3 Name: | Dr. Hishamuddin Mohd Hashim |
| Chief3 Position: | Deputy Secretary-General (Strategic) |
The Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development (Malay: Kementerian Pembangunan Wanita, Keluarga dan Masyarakat; Jawi:), abbreviated KPWKM, is a ministry of the Government of Malaysia responsible for social welfare: children, women, family, community, older people, destitute, homeless, disaster victim, disabled. The ministry determines the policies and direction to achieve the goals of gender equality, family development and a caring society in line with Malaysia's commitment towards the United Nations' Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women and the Beijing Declaration.
Following the Fourth World Conference on Women organised by the United Nations in Beijing, China in 1995, efforts to establish a cabinet-level body to aid the Malaysian Government in realising its aspiration towards elevating the status of women were made.
KPWKM was officially established on 17 January 2001 as the Ministry of Women's Affairs with Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil acting as the first cabinet-level Minister to solely focus on the development of women. The scope of the Ministry was widened to include family development and the name was changed to the Ministry of Women and Family Development on 15 February 2001. In 2004, the scope was further widened to include social welfare and development and the Ministry adopted its current name on 27 March 2004.[1]
Following the 14th General Elections, the Deputy Prime Minister, YAB Datuk Seri Wan Azizah Wan Ismail (PKR), was appointed Minister of Women, Family and Community Development on May 21, 2018.[2] She succeeds YB Dato Sri Rohani Abdul Karim (PBB).
The following departments and agencies are under the purview of the KPWKM:
In 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 Women's Affairs (HAWA) in the Prime Minister's Department was established to take 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 newly established KPWKM and restructured as the Department for Women's Development (DWD). By 2002, the DWD had set up branch offices in every state in Malaysia.[3]
Initially set up in 1946 as the Community Welfare Department of Malaya, the Social Welfare Department (SWD) has evolved in fulfilling 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 prevention and rehabilitation services in social issues as well as community development.[4]
The 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 integrate population and family development into sectoral development programme planning as well as facilitate policy makers to consider population and family development factors in the formulation of national development policies and strategies.[5]
The Social Institute of Malaysia was set up to promote professional and semi-professional training in the field of training and research as well as social education to all social workers from various levels and groups from within and outside the country including non-governmental organisations. It currently operates from a 50acres campus in Sungai Besi that was completed in 2001.[6]
In the 2004 Cabinet reshuffle, the Counsellor Board and its administration was placed under the Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development.[7] The unit was then led by a Registrar in the Board's Management Unit. The Board is responsible for all matters pertaining to the enforcement of the Counsellors Act 1998 [Act 580].
A number of Acts of Parliament[8] are assigned to or affect the Ministry. These include:
| Adoption Act 1954 [Act 257] | Related to the Ministry, but enforced by other Ministry or Agency. | |
| Care Centres Act 1993 [Act 503] | Under the purview of the Social Welfare Department. | |
| Child Act 2001 [Act 611] | Under the purview of the Social Welfare Department. | |
| Child Care Centre Act 1984 [Act 308] | Under the purview of the Social Welfare Department. | |
| Counsellors Act 1998 [Act 580] | Under the Purview of the Counsellors Board. | |
| Destitute Persons Act 1977 [Act 183] | Under the purview of the Social Welfare Department. | |
| Domestic Violence Act 1994 [Act 521] | Under the Purview of the Social Welfare Department. | |
| Law Reform (Marriage and Divorce) Act 1976 [Act 164] | Related to the Ministry, but enforced by other Ministry or Agency. | |
| Maintenance Orders (Facilities for Enforcement) Act 1949 [Act 34] | Related to the Ministry, but enforced by other Ministry or Agency. | |
| Married Women Act 1957 [Act 450] | Related to the Ministry, but enforced by other Ministry or Agency. | |
| Married Women and Children (Maintenance) Act 1950 [Act 263] | Related to the Ministry, but enforced by other Ministry or Agency. | |
| Married Women and Children (Enforcement of Maintenance) Act 1968 [Act 794] - Revised 2017 | Related to the Ministry, but enforced by other Ministry or Agency. | |
| Population and Family Development Act 1966 [Act 352] | Under the purview of the National Population and Family Development Board. | |
| Registration of Adoptions Act 1952 [Act 253] | Related to the Ministry, but enforced by other Ministry or Agency. |
Policy guidelines developed and adopted to date include:
Officially adopted by the Government in 2003, the NSP seeks to create a progressive and established Malaysian society with every member having the opportunity to develop his/her potential to the optimum in a healthy social environment based on the qualities of unity, resilience, democracy, morality, tolerance, progress, care, fairness and equity.[9]
The main objectives of this policy are to ensure an equitable sharing in the acquisition of resources, information, opportunities and benefits of development for men and women. The objectives of equality and justice must be made the essence of development policies which must be people oriented so the women, who constitute half the nation's population, can contribute and realize their potentials to the optimum; and to integrate women in all sectors of development in accordance with their capabilities and needs, in order to enhance the quality of life, eradicate poverty, ignorance and illiteracy, and ensure a peaceful and prosperous nation.[10] KPWKM has also gotten the Government to agree towards achieving a minimum of a 30% representation of women in decision making positions in the public sector.[11]
In seeking to achieve a contented and strong society for national development, the NSWP shall develop human potential to the optimum and to strengthen society to face current social challenges, create various facilities for enhancing self-development and development of the individual, and build and inculcate the spirit of mutual help and assistance to reinforce a caring culture.[12]
This policy was adopted to establish a society of the elderly who are contented, dignified, possessed of a high sense of self-worth, and optimising their potential, as well as to ensure that they enjoy all opportunities besides being given the care and protection as members of a family, society and the nation.[13]