Harassed by a stranger, a neighbour, an ex? Malaysia's law changed — here's what you can actually do now.

The old answer to "I'm being harassed by someone who isn't my colleague" in Malaysia was bleak. There was no sexual harassment offence. There was no anti-stalking law. Victims were told to lodge a police report and hope something else fitted.

Three things changed between 2023 and 2024, and together they rewrote this page:

1. Stalking became a crime — section 507A of the Penal Code, in force 2023, covering both physical and online stalking.
2. Protection orders became available — section 98A of the Criminal Procedure Code lets you apply to court, ex parte, against someone under investigation for stalking.
3. TAGS opened — the Tribunal for Anti-Sexual Harassment began operating on 8 March 2024, and it is not limited to the workplace.

If you've read that sexual harassment isn't actionable in Malaysia — including our own previous version of this page — that's out of date.

1. Stalking: section 507A

This is the most significant change, and it exists largely because of one case.

Acacia Diana, a Malaysian photographer, was stalked for around eight years by a man she didn't know. It began with comments on her blog and lewd content sent to her, escalated to him approaching her at a fast-food restaurant and allegedly going to her house, and continued when he followed her to London where she was studying. Under the law as it stood, there was no offence that fitted a pattern of conduct.

What section 507A says: a person commits stalking where they repeatedly, by any act of harassment, intend to cause — or know or ought to know the act is likely to cause — distress, fear or alarm to any person about their safety.

"Repeatedly" means at least twice. That's the threshold.

Acts of harassment listed in section 507A(2) — and the list is not exhaustive:

• Following or tracking a person in any manner or by any means
• Communicating or attempting to communicate in any manner
• Loitering at a person's residence or place of business
• Giving or sending anything to a person in any manner

Penalty: up to three years' imprisonment, a fine, or both.

Four features that matter practically:

• It covers online stalking, not just physical.
• Tracking includes non-physical means — Ramkarpal Singh specifically cited hidden cameras and GPS trackers when tabling the amendment.
• You don't need to know who the stalker is.
• You don't have to prove you actually felt fear. It's enough that the person knew or ought to have known their conduct was likely to cause distress, fear or alarm.

That last point is important, because victims are often told their reaction wasn't strong enough to count.

The scale of the problem: a Women's Aid Organisation survey found 36% of Malaysians had experienced being stalked and felt fear. In one poll of 1,008 respondents, 88% reported experiencing at least one stalking-related act.

It has been used. Muhammad Safiq Rosli, 37, was the first man charged under Malaysia's anti-stalking law.

2. Protection orders: section 98A CPC

New, underused, and potentially the most immediately useful thing on this page.

What it does: a court can issue a protection order against a person who is being investigated for, or has been charged with, stalking. You don't have to wait for a conviction.

Who can apply: the victim, the victim's representative or lawyer, or the guardian of a child or a disabled person.

How: ex parte — meaning you can apply without the other party present, which matters when the other party is the person frightening you.

Breaching a protection order carries up to one year's imprisonment, a fine, or both.

Re-application: if a case concludes and the conduct starts again, you can apply afresh, and the court has discretion to grant a new order.

On accessibility: the government has acknowledged that applying without a lawyer is difficult, and the Legal Affairs Division has worked on preparing standardised court documents to be made available at court service bureaus and police stations. Ask at either — and ask specifically for the section 98A protection order forms.

3. TAGS: not just for the workplace

Most coverage of the Anti-Sexual Harassment Act 2022 frames it as a workplace law. It isn't.

The Tribunal for Anti-Sexual Harassment covers sexual harassment in everyday life, not only in employment. Harassment by a neighbour, a landlord, a customer, a classmate, a stranger, someone you met online — all can fall within it.

Key points:

• Covers harassment occurring on or after 8 March 2024
• You file it yourself at etags.kpwkm.gov.my (the e-TAGS portal launched 1 January 2026)
• Hearings are closed to the public, before a three-member panel including at least one woman
• Target of 60 days from first hearing to decision
• Civil standard of proof — balance of probabilities, not "beyond reasonable doubt"
• Remedies: written apology, publication of that apology, compensation up to RM250,000, and attendance at a programme

The case that proves it works outside employment: in June 2026 the Kuala Lumpur High Court upheld a TAGS award requiring a woman's ex-boyfriend to apologise in writing, attend counselling, and pay RM60,000 after he distributed her intimate images on social media. That is a purely personal-life case, and it survived High Court scrutiny.

Full detail in our separate article. See also: [Your boss brushed off your harassment complaint](/p/sexual-harassment-complaint-workplace-malaysia)

4. The provisions that were always there

These still matter, particularly for single incidents that don't meet the "repeatedly" threshold.

Section 509 Penal Code — words or gestures intended to insult the modesty of a person. This has long been the catch-all used for catcalling, lewd remarks and gestures.

Section 506 Penal Code — criminal intimidation.

Section 233 CMA 1998 — improper use of network facilities, covering obscene or offensive content sent electronically. Note that the Federal Court's February 2026 decision in Heidy Quah raised the threshold for prosecution, requiring genuine gross offensiveness and proven intent — so this provision now bites harder on hate speech and sustained targeting than on one-off unpleasantness. See also: [Before you post that video of the guy who parked like an idiot — read this](/p/in-malaysia-shaming-someone-on-social-media-could-land-you-in-jail)

Section 354 Penal Code — assault or criminal force with intent to outrage modesty, which covers unwanted physical contact.

Domestic Violence Act 1994 — where the person is a family member or former spouse, this is a different and often stronger route, with its own protection orders.

5. Which route to use

They're not mutually exclusive, and you can pursue more than one.

If there's a pattern of following, contacting or tracking: section 507A, plus a section 98A protection order. This is the strongest combination available.

If it's sexual in nature and happened since March 2024: TAGS, for compensation and an apology. Cheap, closed hearings, you don't need a lawyer.

If there's been physical contact: police report, section 354 territory. This is a criminal matter and should be reported.

If intimate images have been shared: TAGS has demonstrably worked here, and it may also be criminal. Report both.

If it's a family member or former spouse: the Domestic Violence Act route, and speak to WAO.

If it's a single unpleasant incident: section 509 or section 233 may apply, though a police report is often the realistic ceiling.

What to actually do

Document everything, starting now:

• A log — date, time, location, what happened, who saw it. Contemporaneous notes carry real weight.
• Screenshots of messages with the sender's details and timestamps visible. Don't just save the text.
• Photographs of anything sent to you, gifts left, or the person's presence near your home or work.
• Keep originals. Don't delete and don't rely on a single device.

Report:

• Police report for stalking, physical contact, or threats. Take your log and evidence with you.
• Ask about a section 98A protection order — at the police station or the court service bureau.
• File with TAGS at etags.kpwkm.gov.my for sexual harassment since 8 March 2024.

Get support:

• Talian Kasih 15999 — 24 hours, WhatsApp 019-261 5999
• Women's Aid Organisation — 03-3000 8858, or SMS/WhatsApp TINA 018-988 8058 (24/7)
• AWAM — 016-237 4221 / 016-228 4221
• Emergency: 999

Practical safety:

• Tell people around you — colleagues, neighbours, building security. Isolation helps the harasser.
• Vary your routine where you can.
• Check your devices and car for tracking, and review app permissions and location sharing.
• Don't engage. Responding, even to tell them to stop, often prolongs it — and your log is more useful than your reply.