Track abuse reports to look for evidence of femicide, says lawyer group

Lawyer group AWL vice-president Denise Lim has called for a national database on femicide to track previous reports of domestic abuse, stalking and missed opportunities for intervention. This would help authorities identify patterns of escalating violence before it becomes fatal, rather than treating each killing as an isolated incident.

WAO recently renewed its push for Malaysia to legally recognize femicide, defined as intentional gender-motivated killings of women and girls. They argue that such killings often go unaddressed due to insufficient systematic tracking and training for police to recognize non-physical forms of abuse. Lim also emphasized the importance of teaching personal boundaries to children and establishing clearer referral procedures between relevant agencies to ensure timely action.