Amend domestic violence law to protect unmarried victims, says NGO

2026-03-09 - 08:14

WAO said parties such as current or former dating partners, fiancés, and live-in partners also need protection. KUALA LUMPUR: A women’s rights group has renewed calls to expand the law so that protection for domestic violence victims is based on risk and harm, not marital status. The Women’s Aid Organisation (WAO) said although amendments in 2017 expanded protection to former spouses and introduced emergency protection orders, the Domestic Violence Act 1994 still does not explicitly include unmarried partners such as current or former dating partners, fiancés, and live-in partners. “Under the current Act, survivors in non-marital intimate relationships are unable to access protection orders, which include prohibiting contact, removing perpetrators from shared residences, preventing harassment or intimidation, as well as criminalising breaches of orders,” WAO said in its 2026 report launched today. “Denying protection orders to unmarried partners weakens legal intervention and creates unequal treatment among survivors, contravening their rights to equality and personal liberty under Articles 5 and 8 of the Federal Constitution.” WAO said while unmarried persons may apply for stalking protection orders, these orders do not address broader forms of abuse such as physical violence, coercive control, or abuse within shared households, and therefore cannot replace protections under the Act. It said that although the proposed amendments may be seen as endorsing non-marital relationships, the Act’s purpose is to prevent violence and protect individuals from harm, which should not depend on marital status. “Recent global and local trends point to several emerging risk factors shaping gender-based violence in Malaysia, including the expansion of the manosphere leading to the spread of misogyny and backlash against women’s rights,” it said. According to UN Women, the manosphere is a loose network of online communities across websites, blogs and forums that claim to address men’s struggles, but often promote harmful advice and attitudes. In August last year, deputy women, family and community development minister Noraini Ahmad said 3,768 domestic violence cases were recorded nationwide from January to June. Of the victims, 73% (2,751 cases) were women and 27% were men, mainly aged between 36 and 45.