In forceAmendedUpdated to 1 Jul 2023Read it in Bahasa Malaysia

Contents

Act of Parliament · Updated to 1 Jul 2023 · 5 parts

Domestic Violence Act 1994

Legal protection in cases of domestic violence

In plain English

Not legal advice

This Act gives legal protection in situations of domestic violence. It applies to all persons in Malaysia.

Summary · Drafted with AI, checked against the official text on 30 Sep 2026.

Part I

Preliminary

Official textFrom Laws of Malaysia Online, unchanged

s 1Short title and application

(1)

This Act may be cited as the Domestic Violence Act 1994.

(2)

This Act shall apply to all persons in Malaysia.

s 2Interpretation

In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires—

“alternative residence” means the premises or accommodation which the victim is or has been compelled to seek or move into as a result of domestic violence;

“child” means a person below the age of eighteen years who is living as a member of the offender’s family or of the family of the offender’s spouse or former spouse, as the case may be;

“court” means—

(a)

in respect of criminal proceedings involving allegations of domestic violence, the court competent to try the actual offence with which the accused is charged;

(b)

in respect of civil proceedings for compensation under section 10, the court competent to hear such claims in tort;

“Director General” means the Director General of Social Welfare and includes the State Director of Social Welfare of each of the

States;

“domestic violence” means the commission of one or more of the following acts:

(a)

wilfully or knowingly placing, or attempting to place, the victim in fear of physical injury;

(b)

causing physical injury to the victim by such act which is known or ought to have been known would result in physical injury;

(c)

compelling the victim by force or threat to engage in any conduct or act, sexual or otherwise, from which the victim has a right to abstain;

(d)

confining or detaining the victim against the victim’s will;

(e)

causing mischief or destruction or damage to property with intent to cause or knowing that it is likely to cause distress or annoyance to the victim;

(ea)

dishonestly misappropriating the victim’s property which causes the victim to suffer distress due to financial loss;

(eb)

threatening the victim with intent to cause the victim to fear for his safety or the safety of his property, to fear for the safety of a third person, or to suffer distress;

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(ec)

communicating with the victim, or communicating about the victim to a third person, with intent to insult the modesty of the victim through any means, electronic or otherwise;

(f)

causing psychological abuse which includes emotional injury to the victim;

(g)

causing the victim to suffer delusions by using any intoxicating substance or any other substance without the victim’s consent or if the consent is given, the consent was unlawfully obtained; or

(h)

in the case where the victim is a child, causing the victim to suffer delusions by using any intoxicating substance or any other substance, by a person, whether by himself or through a third party, against—

(i)

his or her spouse;

(ii)

his or her former spouse;

(iii)

a child;

(iv)

an incapacitated adult; or

(v)

any other member of the family;

“emergency protection order” means an order issued under section 3a;

“enforcement officer” means a police officer or social welfare officer;

“incapacitated adult” means a person who is wholly or partially incapacitated or infirm, by reason of permanent or temporary physical or mental disability or ill-health or old age, who is living as a member of the family of the person alleged to have committed the domestic violence, and includes any person who was confined or detained by the person alleged to have committed the domestic violence;

“interim protection order” means an order issued under section 4;

“Minister” means the Minister charged with the responsibility for social welfare;

“other member of the family” means—

(a)

(i)

an adult son or daughter; or

(ii)

a father or mother, of the offender; or

(b)

(i)

a brother or sister; or

(ii)

any other relative, of the offender who in the opinion of the court should, in the circumstances of that family, be regarded as a member of the family;

“police officer” has the same meaning assigned to it in the

Police Act 1967 [Act 344];

“protected person” means a person who is protected under a protection order;

“protection order” means an order issued under section 5;

“relative” means a person who is related through the full-blood or half-blood, or through marriage or adoption, including de facto adoption;

“safe place” means any home or institution maintained or managed by the Ministry or Department responsible for welfare services or by any other agency or voluntary organization approved by the Minister for the purposes of this Act;

“shared residence” means the premises at which the parties are, or have been, living together as members of the same household;

“shelter” means any home, institution or any other suitable place of which the occupier or owner is willing to receive a victim temporarily;

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“social welfare officer” means a social welfare officer of the

Ministry or Department responsible for welfare services and includes an assistant social welfare officer;

“spouse” includes a de facto spouse, that is to say, a person who has gone through a form of ceremony which is recognized as a marriage ceremony according to the religion or custom of the parties concerned, notwithstanding that such ceremony is not registered or not capable of being registered under any written law relating to the solemnization and registration of marriages;

“victim” means a victim of domestic violence.

s 3Act to be read together with Penal Code, etc.

This Act shall be read together with the Penal Code [Act 574]

or any other written law involving offences relating to domestic violence.

Part Ia

EMERGENCY PROTECTION ORDER

Emergency protection order 3a. (1) A social welfare officer duly authorized in writing by the

Director General may, in an application involving a complaint of domestic violence referred to in paragraph (a) or (b) of the definition of “domestic violence” under section 2, issue an emergency protection order.

(2)

An application for an emergency protection order may be made at any time whether or not an interim protection order or a protection order has been previously made or an application for an interim protection order or a protection order is still pending.

(3)

An application for an emergency protection order shall be made ex parte by—

(a)

the victim;

(b)

the victim’s counsel; or

(c)

in the case where the victim is a child or an incapacitated adult, the guardian, relative or person responsible for the care of such child or incapacitated adult, or a social welfare officer other than an authorized social welfare officer.

(4)

An application for an emergency protection order may be made in any district where—

(a)

the victim resides;

(b)

the person against whom the protection is sought resides;

(c)

the alleged domestic violence occurred; or

(d)

the victim is placed temporarily.

(5)

Upon receipt of the application for an emergency protection order, the application shall be heard by the authorized social welfare officer immediately and the issuance of the emergency protection order, if any, shall be made, where practicable, within two hours after the application is made.

(6)

For the purpose of an application for an emergency protection order, a police report relating to the domestic violence is not required.

(7)

The authorized social welfare officer, in making an emergency protection order under subsection (1), may issue one or more of the following orders:

(a)

prohibiting the person against whom the order is made from using domestic violence referred to in paragraph (a) or (b) of the definition of “domestic violence” under section 2 against his or her spouse or former spouse, a child, an incapacitated adult or any other member of the family, as the case may be;

(b)

prohibiting the person against whom the order is made from inciting any other person to commit domestic violence referred to in paragraph (a) or (b) of the definition of

“domestic violence” under section 2 against his or her spouse or former spouse, a child, an incapacitated adult or any other member of the family, as the case may be; or

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(c)

prohibiting the person against whom the order is made from entering any protected person’s safe place, shelter, place of residence, shared residence or alternative residence, as the case may be.

(8)

An emergency protection order shall be valid for the period of seven days from the date of issuance of the order, and enforceable when a copy of the order is served on the person against whom the order is made in accordance with section 3b.

(9)

The emergency protection order issued shall not be affected by the issuance of an interim protection order or a protection order.

Service of emergency protection order 3b. (1) The authorized social welfare officer who issued the emergency protection order under subsection 3a(1) shall forward a copy of the order, where practicable within ten hours of the issuance of the emergency protection order, to the officer in charge of the police district where the person against whom the order is made resides or any other police officer under his command.

(2)

The officer in charge of the police district or any other police officer under his command referred to in subsection (1)

shall serve a copy of the emergency protection order personally on the person against whom the order is made, where practicable, within twelve hours upon receiving a copy of the order.

Substituted service for emergency protection order 3c. If the officer in charge of the police district or any other police officer under his command referred to in subsection 3b(1)

is not able to serve a copy of the emergency protection order on the person against whom the order is made personally within twelve hours of receiving a copy of the order, the service of the emergency protection order shall be effected—

(a)

by leaving a copy of the order at the last known address of the person against whom the order is made; or

(b)

by any other manner as the authorized social welfare officer may direct.

Proof of service of emergency protection order 3d. The officer in charge of the police district or any other police officer under his command referred to in subsection 3b(1) shall file proof of service of the copy of the emergency protection order effected under section 3b or 3c with the authorized social welfare officer, and communicate the service effected to the victim, within twelve hours of service.

Contravention of emergency protection order 3e. (1) Any person who wilfully contravenes an emergency protection order or any provision of the order shall be guilty of an offence and shall, on conviction, be liable to a fine not exceeding two thousand ringgit or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months or to both.

(2)

Any person who wilfully contravenes an emergency protection order by using violence on a protected person shall be guilty of an offence and shall, on conviction, be liable to a fine not exceeding four thousand ringgit or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding one year or to both.

(3)

Any person who is convicted for a second or subsequent violation of an emergency protection order under subsection (2)

shall be punished with imprisonment for a period of not less than seventy-two hours and not more than two years, and shall also be liable to a fine not exceeding five thousand ringgit.

Record of applications and emergency protection orders 3f. (1) The authorized social welfare officer shall maintain a record of all applications for emergency protection orders and emergency protection orders issued by the authorized social welfare officer under this Act.

(2)

The record shall contain—

(a)

the names, gender and relationship of the parties;

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(b)

the domestic violence alleged, whether it involved any weapon, or resulted in personal injuries and whether the injuries inflicted required medical treatment; and

(c)

the effective date and terms of each order issued.

Part II

Interim Protection Order and Protection Order

Read on from Part II

Part III

Compensation and Rehabilitation Programme

Read on from Part III

Part IV

Procedure on Interim Protection Orders and Protection Orders

Read on from Part IV

Part V

Miscellaneous

Read on from Part V