WAO calls for femicide to be recognised in law

The Women’s Aid Organisation said there is a need for a systematic mechanism to record, monitor and analyse the gender-related killings of women and girls. (Envato Elements pic) PETALING JAYA: The Women’s Aid Organisation (WAO) has called for femicide to be recognised within Malaysia’s legal framework and for a systematic mechanism to record, monitor and analyse the gender-related killings of women and girls.

Several women and girls have been killed between January and October in cases reported in Batu Pahat, Butterworth, Kepong, Kulim, Ketereh, Kuantan and Yong Peng.

The cases included the recent deaths of a 19-year-old woman in Kuantan, and a 16-year-old schoolgirl in Yong Peng, Johor.

In a statement, WAO said Malaysia currently lacks a specific legal or statistical category for femicide, which refers to the intentional killing of women and girls with a gender-related motive, often linked to misogyny, discrimination, unequal power relations or gender-based violence.

It said identifying and monitoring gender-related deaths of women and girls was crucial as this would help highlight patterns, understand risk factors, and assist in forming evidence-based policies and prevention measures.

The group said femicide was linked to wider gender inequalities and harmful attitudes, including misogyny, possessiveness, entitlement, victim-blaming, and the normalisation of violence against women.

“Prevention must begin early through education on consent, empathy, respect, equality and healthy relationships, alongside stronger institutional responses to warning signs of abuse and appropriate protection for those at risk.

“The killing of women and girls must not be treated as isolated incidents. Every case should compel us to examine whether earlier intervention could have prevented the loss of life.

“Women and girls have the right to live free from violence. We must act now to strengthen protection and prevention before more lives are lost,” it said.

While not every killing of a woman could be classified as femicide, WAO said, recurring cases involving intimate partners, family members, and other men known to the victims raised serious concerns about the safety of women and girls.

The group also highlighted gaps in the Domestic Violence Act 1994, particularly in protecting survivors of abuse in non-marital intimate relationships, such as those involving boyfriends and girlfriends.

It urged the government to expand the Act to cover non-marital intimate partner violence and strengthen protection orders to ensure survivors could obtain timely protection.

It also called on schools to strengthen mechanisms for identifying warning signs of gender-based violence, including threats, harassment, stalking and coercive control, with appropriate referral and safety measures.

WAO said education on consent, healthy relationships, empathy, respect, and gender equality should be strengthened in schools and communities, alongside efforts to address misogyny, victim-blaming, and harmful gender stereotypes.