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Gombak, 17 December 2021. Domestic violence is one of the social ills that has happened since time immemorial. The government of Malaysia in support of the international conventions against domestic violence has made a lot of efforts to address issues pertaining to domestic violence. Among the efforts are providing specific Act on domestic violence and providing coordination among relevant government agencies to ensure victims of domestic violence have adequate access to legal protections and the perpetrators are prosecuted and punished accordingly. Nevertheless, the rising number of cases regarding domestic violence is very alarming. Certain quarters of the society point fingers to the related agencies and accuse these agencies of having failed to play the role effectively to combat the issue.

The Round Table Discussion is aimed to get different legal perspectives of the relevant agencies on domestic violence. The panelists are Assistant Prof. Dr. Mohd. Iqbal Abd. Wahab, criminal law lecturer at AIKOL, Puan Sulaimah Daud, Principal Assistant Director, Legal & Enforcement Division, Deptartment of Social Welfare and ASP Tuan Sh. Roslee Sh. Mohd. Norrani Chief, Cyberjaya Police Station.

Prof Farid Sufian Shuaib, in his opening remarks, calls for all to play their roles in protecting victims of domestic violence. Neighbours, friends and family members should not shut their eyes and close their ears from the cries and pleas of the victims.

Based on the discussion, the finding is that the law regarding domestic violence in Malaysia, particularly those provided under the Domestic Violence Act and Penal Code are in place to address issues regarding domestic violence. The Social Welfare Department and the Police Department have the responsibilities to assist the victims and ensure that the perpetrators are dealt with accordingly. Nevertheless, the departments will not be able to function properly without the support of the society. The victims themselves must give full cooperation to the government agencies if they want to get assistance from these agencies.