Malaysian laws still give women a raw deal

DAP's Teo Nie Ching says Malaysia’s laws and Constitution still discriminate against women.

KUALA LUMPUR: DAP Assistant National Publicity Secretary Teo Nie Ching has said that Malaysian laws and its Constitution must be reviewed and audited to ensure both are non-discriminatory towards women.

Teo, who is also Wanita Secretary, said this in regard to Article 15(1) pertaining to citizenship that favoured the foreign spouses of men over those of women.

Another example was Schedule II of the Constitution that gives preference to fathers over mothers.

Teo said that according to Schedule II, kids born outside the Federation to fathers who were citizens, were allowed to register as citizens themselves although that same privilege was not extended to mothers.

She also pointed to Article 8(2), saying that while it was amended in 2001 to prohibit gender discrimination, no attempt was made to audit existing laws to bring it in line with the amendment.

Reminding that the government had ratified the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) in 1995, Teo said that the government was “duty bound to embody the principle of gender equality in the Constitution and to take all appropriate measures to modify or abolish existing laws which constitute discrimination against women.”

She said it was “imperative” that the Government amend the provisions to be in line with the promises it made in ratifying CEDAW.