Malaysia passes Anti-Sexual Harassment Bill with very minor amendments, despite widespread criticism

Malaysia’s Dewan Rakyat (Property of Reps) has handed the Anti-Sexual Harassment Monthly bill 2021, regardless of unaddressed fears of significant shortcomings in the Monthly bill.

The Bill was to begin with tabled for its initially reading in December 2021 (Read our previous put up: “Malaysia’s Anti-Sexual Harassment Bill tabled in Parliament”). It was then withdrawn from a next reading earlier in 2022, with the government indicating that it would be significantly reviewed subsequent strong feedback gained from numerous events. Sad to say, the Invoice which was passed this 7 days only experienced incredibly small amendments from the very first draft.

Because of to the limited revisions created from the to start with draft, our summary of the Invoice released in December 2021 is nonetheless primarily accurate: https://themalaysianlawyer.com/2021/12/15/anti-sexual-harassment-bill/

These are the materials alterations in the current edition of the Monthly bill:

1. A new Clause 7(3) is involved, introducing a limitation interval for sexual harassment problems: “A criticism referred to the Tribunal beneath this Act is matter to the Limitation Act 1953.”
2. Even though the unique edition furnished that parties at the listening to of a sexual harassment criticism can not be represented by an advocate and solicitor, this has been revised [at Clause 13(2)] to supply that lawful illustration will be allowed if “in the feeling of the Tribunal, the issue in query will involve complicated issues of law”. The revisions also offer that if 1 social gathering is permitted to represented by an advocate and solicitor, then the other celebration will also be so entitled.

With these quite minimal improvements, it seems that the worries elevated by quite a few rights organisations who experienced hoped for “a meticulous critique of the Bill” have been remaining unheard. Time will convey to whether or not the new prolonged-awaited regulation will be in depth sufficient to safeguard the legal rights and wellbeing of sexual harassment victims.

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