Malaysian bill seeks expanded protection against stalking

The issue of stalking has become a major concern in Malaysia, and the government has taken several steps to address it. The draft of two bills related to stalking has undergone several improvements to ensure that all aspects of legislation related to stalking are comprehensively covered.

Stalking can have a severe impact on the lives of victims, particularly women, and can cause them to feel threatened and unsafe. That is why the government proposed classifying stalking as a criminal offence back in January 2019 and established the Anti-Stalking Committee to tackle the issue.

Now, the Penal Code (Amendment) (No. 2) 2022 and Criminal Procedure Code (Amendment) (No.2) 2022 in Malaysian law have been revised to improve protection from stalking. The changes were made after engagement sessions with key figures, including the Attorney-General’s Chambers, the Legal Affairs Division of the Prime Minister’s Department, the Women’s Aid Organization, and the Malaysian Bar.

The two bills were tabled for the first reading in the Dewan Rakyat, Malaysia’s House of Representatives, last year on August 4, passed during the second and third readings on October 3, but could not be pushed all the way through due to the dissolution of Parliament on October 10.

The Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) has announced that the bills will be considered again in the upcoming session of the Dewan Rakyat.

A memorandum by Cabinet ministers will be presented by the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform). If approved by the Cabinet ministers, the two bills will be presented again in the coming Parliament session.

With people living much of their life visibly online, stalking has become an increasingly large problem in Thailand, as well as Malaysia and around the world. Last year a Thai influencer went public after fighting to protect herself from a security guard stalking her for two years. And just a few months ago, a woman made news warning others of a creepy taxi driver who had followed her home.