AWL IN THE MEDIA
3 May 2026
AWL recommended that a domestic violence registry be established through a coordinated, multi-agency framework underpinned by amendments to the Domestic Violence Act 1994 and Personal Data Protection Act 2010. An existing protection gap whereby a person may only verify their own marital status with an existing spouse — not that of a prospective partner — leaving victims potentially exposed before they can seek legal recourse. AWL further recommended that access to the registry be limited to specific legal contexts, such as marriage applications, to prevent misuse such as harassment or reputational harm.
15 Apr 2026
Azira Zainal from AWL's Projek30% Committee and Ayesha from EMPOWER were recently interviewed by BFM to talk about Akta Projek30% and why women’s representation in politics isn’t just important, but necessary. Right now, women make up only about 13% of Parliament in Malaysia, despite being half the population.
7 Apr 2026
Malaysia's proposed maternity leave assistance allowance is a welcome step, but the real test lies in its reach and design. As President Jasmine Wong noted in The Star, whether the allowance extends to the informal economy, and how it interacts with existing employer-paid benefits, remains to be seen. Without tackling affordable childcare, workplace enforcement, and child support systems, the impact will be limited.
19 Mar 2026
While the government's mulls the possibility of establishing a Malaysia Mediation Centre (MMC) under the Legal Aid Department to strengthen out of out dispute resolution, reduce case backlogs and lower legal costs for the public, AWL's Vice-President Denise Lim cautioned against conflating mediation with legal advice.
19 Mar 2026
The Association of Women Lawyers (AWL) is proud to reflect on the resounding success of its 5th International Women Lawyers Conference (IWLC), held on 12 February 2026 at the Asian International Arbitration Centre (AIAC) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Themed ‘The Future is Ours to Lead,’ the conference brought together 13 speakers from 6 countries and served as a powerful testament to the increasing influence of women speakers in shaping the future of dispute resolution and alternative dispute resolution across the Asia-Pacific.
9 Mar 2026
In conjunction with International Women’s Day, The Edge Malaysia has featured President Jasmine Wong and AWL, recognising the impact of AWL’s work.
The feature highlights AWL’s role in driving meaningful change, both within and outside the profession. This includes our advocacy in the lead-up to the Anti-Sexual Harassment Act and the establishment of a tribunal to provide more accessible avenues for justice. It also recognises the Peer Support Network of volunteer lawyers who assist complainants with empathy and care.
7 Mar 2026
It is important to sustain momentum in recognising women’s participation as vital to a resilient society, including through greater representation in leadership and stronger institutional support.
Increased involvement of men in caregiving and household responsibilities is key to enabling women’s fuller participation in public and professional life. It must also be noted that structural barriers and underrepresentation in leadership, politics, and policy-making spaces remain significant challenges despite ongoing progress.
6 Feb 2026
AWL was featured in The Star in response to a reported case of sexual harassment involving an e-hailing driver. The article highlighted the importance of shifting public discourse away from victim-blaming and towards holding perpetrators accountable. It was emphasised that considerations of what a victim could have done differently are misplaced, and that the focus should remain on the wrongful conduct of the perpetrator. The feature also referenced the legal recourse available in such cases, including potential prosecution under Section 354 of the Penal Code.
30 Nov 2025
Expression of deep concern and unease over the raids on a gym in Kuala Lumpur, in which approximately 200 people were raided and arrested, and another in Penang involving 13 people. Both involved serious violations of privacy, misconduct and continuing discrimination against LGBTQ groups. The invitation to the media to accompany the enforcement operation violated the privacy rights of the individuals involved, turned the original enforcement into a “public performance”, encouraging inflammatory reporting and subjecting those arrested to stigma and criticism.
14 Oct 2025
Pornography does not cause rape, but it could be one of the risk factors. Teens learn from pornography rather than from formal education, which may desensitise them to severe sexual aggressions. Traditional sex education focuses only on personal anatomy, but does not prepare youths for the realities of young relationships, ambiguity of consent or potential online exposure and its dangers. Young people need to be taught emotional education so they can understand that intimacy involves care, respect and accountability.
12 Oct 2025
Financial allocations would make it easier for single mothers to get orders for child maintenance and to enforce them, particularly those facing domestic violence. Enforcement is not automatic and often becomes an issue. Increasing the number of specialised courts would speed up case processing.
21 Aug 2025
Safeguards are needed to ensure mediation remains fair, accessible and voluntary, and for mediators to be properly accredited, while maintaining parties’ right to independent legal representation. Settlement agreements should also be allowed to be recorded as court orders to facilitate enforcement.
21 Aug 2025
While a tribunal could be useful in handling cases beyond bullying, any legal framework should go hand in hand with preventive strategies. There is a need for a system that instills positive values and prevents bullying from happening in the first place. The government must create more supportive school environments.
13 Jul 2025
The recent Federal Court ruling in AMIR HARIRI ABD HADI v. PP [2025] 5 MLRA 395 and moratorium on Section 11 investigations are positive developments, but it is important to closely scrutinise any fresh amendments, particularly whether other restrictive provisions remain or new regulations will seek to replace repealed ones. Legal reforms should be fairly implemented, as whether an individual is truly able to exercise his or her rights depends on whether the right can be exercised without fear of retaliation or hurdles.
13 Jul 2025
The criminalisation of doxxing under Section 507E, and its legal significance in tackling online abuse. Jasmine emphasised that without strong enforcement, platform accountability and survivor-protection mechanisms, the impact may remain limited, and the broad language in the amendments could open it up for abuse if not carefully applied. Jasmine also highlighted the lack of focus on restorative justice, survivor support and platform owner accountability.
15 Jun 2025
The Online Safety Act only imposes a duty on licensed service providers to establish a mechanism to make “prioritised harmful content” inaccessible. Non-consensual intimate imagery such as deepfake porn involving adults is not included as “priority harmful content”, but should be given the nature of it and how damaging it can be. Freedom of speech advocates have also flagged the law as lacking critical safeguards against misuse.
9 Jun 2025
Malaysia's Online Safety Bill 2024 does not address the rapid spread of deepfake / AI-generated sexual abuse content. A central takedown platform, possibly under the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), could improve coordination and response times. AI developers must build safeguards to detect and prevent the misuse of AI-generated content. Schools and educators also play a vital role in addressing digital abuse promptly and educating students on safe online behaviour.
11 May 2025
The challenges faced by women in securing alimony and child support in Malaysia, particularly single mothers where former spouses fail to provide maintenance, as well as the importance of seeking timely legal and financial advice, and availability of legal aid, greater awareness and access to support systems.
1 May 2025
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