NGO launches petition to make stalking a crime in Malaysia

Stalking causes mental and emotional distress and disrupts the lives of victims as well as those around them. Photo: The Star/Azman Ghani

Women’s Aid Organisation (WAO) has started an online petition, calling for stalking to be made a crime punishable by law in Malaysia. Currently, stalking is not yet a crime in Malaysia, leaving perpetrators unpunished, and victims and survivors unprotected.

“There is no legal provision for survivors and victims of stalking to get restraining orders against their stalkers. Because of this, victims are not protected by the police, and stalkers are not held accountable,” says WAO deputy executive director and advocacy director Yu Ren Chung.