Unicef calls for universal childcare allowance

Muhammed Abdul Khalid, who co-authored Unicef’s ‘Living On The Edge’ report with three others, presented the findings at a media launch today.

KUALA LUMPUR: Unicef has called for the introduction of a universal childcare allowance for mothers to bolster the expansion of social protection measures for children in Malaysia.

DM Analytics lead researcher Muhammed Abdul Khalid proposed a monthly allowance of RM200 for mothers from pregnancy until the child reaches the age of two.

“Children are the most vulnerable. The country is having malnutrition issues, so every child in Malaysia should receive cash assistance during the first 1,000 days, which includes the time when they are still in the womb up to when they are two years old.

“The cost is little and it would be easy to follow through,” he said during the launch of Unicef’s “Living on the Edge” report here today.

Khalid co-authored the study with DM Analytics deputy director of research Zouhair Rosli, Unicef chief of social policy Juanita Vasquez Escallon and DM Analytics senior researcher Maryam Halim.

The primary aim of the report is to offer evidence-based insight into the post-Covid-19 landscape, especially on the escalating cost of living.

The study surveyed 755 low-income households, revealing that 40% of children in such households now fall below the poverty line.

It said that while most household heads had resumed work and family income had increased, the poverty rate remained high.

The report also noted a 32% increase in median monthly household income, reaching an average of RM3,000. However, for households led by women, income grew by 23% to RM1,600, still below the 2022 poverty line of RM2,589.

Households headed by persons with disabilities recorded the lowest average monthly income at RM1,550.

Muhammed also suggested a universal allowance for people with disabilities to ensure a sufficient level of income security, while complementing existing healthcare and employment protection measures.

“Concurrently, there should be an extended allowance to the primary caregivers of disabled family members,” he added.

He said the proposed universal allowances would cost less than 0.2% of the country’s gross domestic product, making them highly affordable to implement.