PETALING JAYA: A registry of domestic violence offenders must be set up to better protect victims, particularly women, says Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri.
The Women, Family and Community Development Minister emphasised the growing necessity of establishing the registry, particularly in light of cases involving repeat offenders who go on to marry and subsequently abuse their spouses.
“The main issue is: how can we (the ministry) obtain a list of repeated offenders’ names? Because we do not have such data (of convicted domestic violent offenders).
“This registry would enable women to refer to the agency concerned about their future husbands. We would then forward our concerns to the police,” she said in an interview recently.
Nancy said there is currently no specific system within the ministry to track repeat offenders in domestic violence cases.
She said the absence of such records hindered the ministry’s efforts to assist abuse victims.
According to police data, 5,507 domestic violence cases were recorded in 2023, rising to 7,116 in 2024 and 7,391 cases in 2025.
However, there is no breakdown as to whether the cases reported also include repeat offenders of domestic violence.
Recently, the police have arrested a man believed to have assaulted his wife, causing her to suffer a miscarriage in Ambangan Heights.
Authorities previously confirmed that the suspect was the same man involved in a 2021 case in Larkin, Johor, in which a civil servant was reported to have been assaulted, resulting in severe injuries, including brain bleeding that required part of her skull to be removed.
Nancy said the ministry is also looking at improving other matters related to the laws and standard operating procedure concerning domestic violence.
“The government ecosystem needs to be tightened, including the procedures within the Health Ministry, the Welfare Department, the police and the court.
“This is to ensure there is a mechanism to prioritise cases involving repeat offenders as opposed to repeat victims.”
Meanwhile, former Selangor Syariah Court chief judge Datuk Dr Mohd Na’im Mokhtar said Malaysia’s quest for a domestic violence registry does not need to start from scratch.
“The country already has the Islamic Marriage Management System, which connects with the state Islamic religious affairs departments.
“This abuser registry can be integrated into the existing system.
“When an individual applies for marriage approval, the system could automatically cross-check records of convictions in Syariah courts (and ideally civil courts and police records).
“If an applicant has a history of abuse, the Syariah judge or marriage registrar may exercise their authority under the state Islamic family law enactments to delay approval until certain conditions are met (such as counselling or psychiatric evaluation),” said Mohd Na’im.
He explained that since Islamic matters fall under state jurisdiction, the main challenge lies in coordination.
“All states must agree to share conviction data for Syariah offences, for example, spousal abuse or violence-related misconduct.
“Clear legal provisions must be enacted within syariah criminal laws to allow offenders’ names to be recorded in such a registry following conviction.
“Cases involving serial marriages and repeated abuse often involve manipulation across systems beyond religious jurisdiction.
“A data bridge is needed between Syariah courts and civil courts. For example, cases under the Domestic Violence Act 1994 and the police,” he added.
