Govt committed to making stalking a crime - deputy minister

 

The government is determined to criminalise stalking by this year, according to Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Parliament and Law) Mas Ermieyati Samsudin.

In a statement today, Mas said that a policy paper and proposed legal amendments are expected to be presented to the cabinet in December, and will be tabled in Parliament following the cabinet’s approval.

Yesterday, a meeting was chaired by the Legal Affairs Division of the Prime Minister’s Department and attended by the Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development, the police, Attorney-General's Chambers, Malaysian Bar Council and representatives from NGOs including Women’s Aid Organisation (WAO), as well as academics.

“Efforts to make stalking a crime have started since 2019 where an Anti-Stalking Committee was established.

"Since early 2020, legal amendments (such as) amendments to the Penal Code and the Criminal Procedure Code have been prepared by the Anti-Stalking Committee, led by the Legal Affairs Division with the involvement of other government agencies and NGOs.

"The government has given a commitment to make stalking a crime in Malaysia,” Mas said at the meeting.

She added that until the issue is presented to the cabinet, she intended to hold meetings with MPs, government agencies and relevant NGOs to provide an overview to the public about stalking and its impacts on society.

A 2020 survey conducted by WAO revealed that while more women were victims of stalking than men, the experience for men was far more dangerous as it involved threats of harm or actual harm.

The survey 'Understanding Malaysians' Experiences of Stalking' had 1,008 respondents, of whom 51 percent were women, and 49 percent were men.

Overall, 88 percent of respondents experienced an act associated with stalking, with 34 percent experiencing it in 2020.

WAO previously said that an anti-stalking law would not only afford protection to survivors, it would also enhance societal understanding of stalking and spread awareness both on the part of survivors as well as the perpetrators engaged in acts of stalking. - Mkini