KUALA LUMPUR – Prison regulations concerning mother-child interactions are outdated and long overdue for an update, said four female opposition legislators today.
The joint statement – made in conjunction with the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women by a federal lawmaker and three assemblywomen – suggested that current internment policies favour separating mothers from their children.
“In the modern world, the law needs to be updated to allow special instances like women in prison with small children.
“Instead of separating the mothers and infants, there should be special allowances to allow mother-child interactions in holding cells,” said Petaling Jaya MP Maria Chin Abdullah, and assemblywomen Elizabeth Wong (Bukit Lanjan), Jamaliah Jamaluddin (Bandar Utama), and Lim Yi Wei (Kg Tunku).
Additionally, the quartet reiterated the call for anti-stalking legislation, saying reforms are long overdue.
They said the anti-stalking law must be widened to more than just physical stalking – it should also cover the digital realm so that women are safe wherever they may be, and in whatever medium they interact with.
The lawmakers said women should be able to live their lives without any doubt or repercussions that may endanger their physical, emotional, and social conditions.
On November 3, Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Parliament and Law) Datuk Mas Ermieyati Samsudin said the amendment will be tabled in Parliament after obtaining cabinet approval.
“The government has given a commitment to make stalking a crime in this country. Efforts to make stalking a crime have started since 2019 when an Anti-Stalking Committee was set up.
“Since early last year, draft amendments to the law (Penal Code and Criminal Procedure Code) have been prepared by the Anti-Stalking Committee led by the Legal Affairs Division, with the involvement of other government agencies and non-governmental organisations,” she said in a statement.
The International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women was created by the United Nations (UN) General Assembly.
Falling on November 25, it aims to raise awareness on the fact that women worldwide are subjected to danger and violence – such as domestic violence, mental torture, and rape.
The UN stated on its website that nearly one in three women have been abused in their lifetime.
Similarly, according to the UN Women’s report that was collected from 13 countries, there has been a rise in cases of violence against women during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Data showed two in three women reported that they or a woman they know have experienced some form of violence, and only one in 10 women said victims would seek help from the authorities. – The Vibes, November 25, 2021
