KUALA LUMPUR: The government on Tuesday (June 23) tabled the Sexual Offences against Children (Amendment) Bill 2026 in the Dewan Rakyat.
The Bill seeks to expand the extra-territorial reach of Malaysia’s laws against child sexual offences committed outside the country.
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said tabled the Bill for its first reading.
She said the second and third readings would be presented during the current sitting of Parliament.
According to the Bill, the proposed amendments would broaden the scope of the Sexual Offences against Children Act 2017 (Act 792).
This will allow Malaysian authorities to prosecute a wider category of offenders and offences committed abroad that have a connection to Malaysia.
Under the existing law, the Act applies to offences committed outside Malaysia by Malaysian citizens against any child.
The amendment proposes extending the law to cover offences committed abroad by Malaysian permanent residents and individuals whose habitual residence is in Malaysia against any child.
It would also allow Malaysian authorities to take action against any person who commits an offence outside Malaysia against a child who is a Malaysian citizen, a permanent resident, or a person whose habitual residence is in Malaysia.
The Bill states that such offences may be dealt with as if they had been committed within Malaysia.
According to the explanatory statement, the amendment seeks to expand the extra-territorial application of Act 792 and offences listed in its Schedule where the victim is a child.
This will enable the law to apply to a wider category of persons with links to Malaysia.
The Bill also states that the proposed amendments would not involve any additional financial expenditure by the Federal Government.
