Akta Keganasan Rumah Tangga 1994
Applies to: Federal (whole of Malaysia); applies to Muslims and non-Muslims · Official text ↗
- Domestic violence (keganasan rumah tangga) is not only hitting. It includes threats, confinement, forced sexual acts, damaging property, taking your money or property, insulting messages, and psychological or emotional abuse (s 2).
- An Emergency Protection Order (EPO) can be issued by an authorised welfare officer, usually within two hours, without a police report, and lasts 7 days (s 3A).
- An Interim Protection Order (IPO) protects you while the police investigate (s 4). A Protection Order (PO) protects you during and after criminal proceedings, for up to 12 months (ss 5, 6, 13).
- Orders can stop the abuser contacting you, coming near you (for example within 50 metres), entering your home, workplace or school, and can give you exclusive use of the home and car.
- Breaking a protection order is a crime: up to RM2,000 and/or 6 months; if violence is used, up to RM4,000 and/or 1 year; repeat violent breaches carry mandatory jail (ss 3E, 8).
- Get help: Talian Kasih 15999 (24 hours; WhatsApp 019-261 5999), the nearest JKM office, a police station or a hospital emergency department. Emergency: 999.
What counts as domestic violence
Under s 2, domestic violence means doing any of the following to a spouse, former spouse, child, incapacitated adult or other family member, whether directly or through someone else:
- wilfully putting, or trying to put, the victim in fear of physical injury;
- causing physical injury;
- forcing the victim by force or threat into any act, sexual or otherwise, that the victim has a right to refuse;
- confining or detaining the victim against their will;
- damaging property to cause distress or annoyance;
- dishonestly misappropriating the victim's property, causing distress through financial loss (added 2017);
- threatening the victim so they fear for their safety, property or another person, or suffer distress (added 2017);
- communicating with or about the victim, by any means including electronic, to insult the victim's modesty (added 2017);
- causing psychological abuse, including emotional injury (added 2012);
- causing the victim to suffer delusions by giving them an intoxicating or other substance without valid consent.
'Other member of the family' means the abuser's adult son or daughter, father or mother, and a brother, sister or other relative whom the court regards as a member of the family. The Act is read together with the Penal Code: the abuser can be charged with ordinary offences such as causing hurt, and the protection orders sit alongside the criminal case.
The three protection orders
| Order | Who issues it | When | How long |
|---|---|---|---|
| Emergency Protection Order (EPO, Perintah Perlindungan Kecemasan) (s 3A) | An authorised social welfare officer (JKM), not a court | Any time, for physical violence or fear of physical injury (paras (a) and (b) of the definition). No police report needed. | 7 days from issue |
| Interim Protection Order (IPO, Perintah Perlindungan Interim) (s 4) | Court | While the police are investigating a domestic violence offence | Until the investigation ends with no further action, or until a Protection Order application is decided (see s 4(4)) |
| Protection Order (PO, Perintah Perlindungan) (ss 5, 6, 13) | Court | Within 7 days of being told a criminal case will be brought, or at any stage of criminal proceedings, including as a bail condition | Up to 12 months; may be extended once for up to another 12 months (s 6(1A), (2)) |
EPO details. Apply ex parte (without the abuser being present) yourself, through your lawyer, or, for a child or incapacitated adult, through a guardian, relative, carer or welfare officer (s 3A(3)). You can apply in the district where you live, where the abuser lives, where the violence happened or where you are sheltering (s 3A(4)). The officer must hear it immediately and, where practicable, decide within two hours (s 3A(5)). The order is sent to the police, who serve it on the abuser (ss 3B to 3D).
What an order can say
A Protection Order, and since 2017 an Interim Protection Order, can include one or more of these orders (s 6(1); s 4(3A)):
- exclusive occupation of the shared home for the protected person, even if the abuser owns or rents it;
- stopping the abuser from entering your home, shelter, workplace, school or other institution;
- stopping the abuser from coming within 50 metres of you, or another distance the court sets;
- stopping personal contact except in the presence of an enforcement officer;
- stopping communication by any means (calls, messages, social media), except in limited circumstances;
- letting you collect your belongings with a police escort;
- letting you continue to use a vehicle you normally use;
- any other direction needed to make the order work.
An order can also forbid the abuser from inciting anyone else to harm you (s 4(3)). The court can also order compensation for injury or loss (s 10) and refer the abuser to a rehabilitation programme; the victim is referred only with consent (s 11).
Penalties for breaking an order
- Wilfully breaking an EPO, IPO or PO: fine up to RM2,000 or jail up to 6 months, or both (s 3E(1), s 8(1)).
- Breaking it by using violence on the protected person: fine up to RM4,000 or jail up to 1 year, or both (s 3E(2), s 8(2)).
- A second or later violent breach: jail of at least 72 hours and up to 2 years, plus a fine up to RM5,000 (s 3E(3), s 8(3)).
These are on top of any punishment for the underlying violence under the Penal Code.
How to get help, step by step
- If you are in danger now, call 999 or go to the nearest police station or hospital emergency department.
- Call Talian Kasih 15999 (24 hours; WhatsApp 019-261 5999; also the Talian Kasih app). Complaints are referred to the Social Welfare Department (JKM), which can help with an EPO or IPO, a safe shelter, welfare aid and counselling.
- Ask JKM for an Emergency Protection Order if you have been hurt or are in fear of physical injury. No police report is needed for an EPO.
- Lodge a police report. This starts the investigation and lets you apply to court for an IPO. Under the 2017 amendments the police must keep you informed of the investigation and of your order applications (s 19).
- Get medical treatment and ask for your injuries to be recorded. Keep photos, messages and witness names.
- Apply for a Protection Order within 7 days of being told in writing that the abuser will be charged, or at any time during the criminal case. You, your lawyer, a welfare officer or a police officer can apply on your behalf (s 13A).
- Get free advice from the Legal Aid Department or a Bar Council legal aid centre (see Getting legal help), or a women's organisation.
Amendments
- 2012: psychological abuse, including emotional injury, added to the definition of domestic violence.
- 2017 (Domestic Violence (Amendment) Act 2017, Act A1538): Emergency Protection Orders by welfare officers; new forms of domestic violence (misappropriating property, threats, insulting electronic communications); IPOs can include the full range of protective orders; Protection Orders available at any stage of criminal proceedings; rehabilitation programmes; and duties on police to update victims.
We found no further amendment to the Act passed between 2018 and October 2026.
Laws cited on this page
| Act 521 | Domestic Violence Act 1994 · Akta Keganasan Rumah Tangga 1994 | Official text |
| Act 574 | Penal Code · Kanun Keseksaan | Official text |
Listed automatically from the federal Acts named on this page. All laws of Malaysia →
Key sections
| Provision | What it says, in plain words |
|---|---|
| s 2 | Definition of domestic violence, including psychological and emotional abuse, threats and misuse of the victim's property. |
| s 3A | Emergency Protection Order by an authorised welfare officer; no police report needed; decided within 2 hours where practicable; valid 7 days. |
| ss 3B to 3D | Police serve the EPO on the abuser and confirm service to the victim. |
| s 3E | Offence of breaching an EPO; higher penalties if violence is used. |
| s 4 | Interim Protection Order during police investigation; can include the s 6 orders since 2017. |
| s 5, s 6 | Protection Order and what it can include: exclusive occupation, no entry, 50-metre distance, no contact, belongings, vehicle. |
| s 6(1A), (2) | PO lasts up to 12 months; can be extended once for up to another 12 months. |
| s 8 | Offence of breaching an IPO or PO: RM2,000/6 months; RM4,000/1 year with violence; mandatory jail for repeat violent breaches. |
| s 10 | Court may award compensation for injury or loss. |
| s 11 | Referral to rehabilitation programme; the victim only with consent. |
| s 13, s 13A | When a PO may be sought (within 7 days of notice of prosecution or any stage of proceedings) and who may apply. |
| s 19 | Duties of police officers, including informing the victim of investigation and order status. |
Worked examples
Facts. At 11 p.m. Aminah's husband slaps her and threatens to kill her. She is afraid to go to the police station.
The law. Physical injury and placing her in fear of physical injury are domestic violence under paras (a) and (b) of s 2. An authorised welfare officer can issue an EPO at any time, without a police report (s 3A(1), (6)), ideally within two hours.
Outcome. She calls Talian Kasih 15999 or goes to JKM. The EPO can bar her husband from using violence, inciting others, and entering her home or shelter for 7 days. She should still lodge a police report to get longer protection through an IPO and a PO.
Facts. After their divorce, Mr Tan's former wife Grace receives dozens of humiliating WhatsApp messages from him daily, and he posts insulting remarks about her in a family chat group.
The law. Former spouses are protected. Communicating with the victim, or about the victim to third persons, by electronic means to insult her modesty is domestic violence (s 2, para (ec)), and causing emotional injury is psychological abuse (para (f)).
Outcome. Grace lodges a police report and applies for an IPO with a no-communication order (s 4(3A), s 6(1)(d)). Breaching it is an offence under s 8.
Facts. Ravi withdraws all of his wife Priya's savings from her personal account without permission, leaving her unable to pay for her medicine.
The law. Since 2017, dishonestly misappropriating the victim's property so that she suffers distress due to financial loss is domestic violence (s 2, para (ea)). The court can also order compensation (s 10).
Outcome. Priya can report to the police and seek protection orders. A criminal offence such as criminal breach of trust may also be investigated.
Facts. Encik Rahman, 78 and frail, lives with his adult son, who locks him in a room and withholds food.
The law. An infirm elderly family member can be an 'incapacitated adult'. Confining or detaining the victim against his will is domestic violence (s 2, para (d)). For an incapacitated adult, a relative, carer or welfare officer can apply for an EPO on his behalf (s 3A(3)(c)).
Outcome. A relative calls Talian Kasih or JKM. JKM can issue an EPO and arrange a safe placement; the police can investigate.
Examples are simplified illustrations with invented names; real cases turn on their own facts.
Questions & answers
Does the Domestic Violence Act apply to Muslims?
Yes. It is federal law that applies to everyone in Malaysia, Muslim or non-Muslim. Muslims may also have remedies in the Syariah Court, but protection orders under this Act are available to all.
Is emotional abuse domestic violence?
Yes. Since 2012 the definition in s 2 includes causing psychological abuse, including emotional injury. Since 2017 it also covers threats that cause distress and insulting communications, including electronic ones.
Do I need a police report to get protection?
Not for an Emergency Protection Order: s 3A(6) says no police report is required. An Interim Protection Order is linked to a police investigation, so you need to lodge a report for that, and a Protection Order is linked to criminal proceedings.
How fast can I get an Emergency Protection Order?
The authorised welfare officer must hear the application immediately and, where practicable, issue the order within two hours (s 3A(5)). It lasts 7 days and becomes enforceable once served on the abuser by the police.
Can my abuser be ordered to leave our home?
Yes. A Protection Order, and an IPO since 2017, can give you the right of exclusive occupation of the shared residence, even if the abuser owns or rents it (s 6(1)(a)). An EPO can stop the abuser from entering your home.
What if my boyfriend or girlfriend is abusing me?
The Act protects spouses, former spouses, children, incapacitated adults and other family members. A partner you are not married to is generally not covered, but violence, threats and stalking are still crimes under the Penal Code. Report to the police.
What happens if the abuser breaks the order?
Report it to the police immediately. A wilful breach is an offence: up to RM2,000 and/or 6 months; with violence, up to RM4,000 and/or 1 year; a repeat violent breach carries at least 72 hours' jail (ss 3E and 8).
Who can I call for help?
Talian Kasih 15999 (24 hours; WhatsApp 019-261 5999), the nearest Social Welfare Department (JKM) office, any police station, or a hospital. In an emergency, call 999.
All questions & answers → · Ask your own →
Sources
- Domestic Violence (Amendment) Act 2017 (Act A1538), gazetted text (Cornell)
- Domestic Violence Act 1994 (Act 521), sections (LOM reprint as at 1 June 2018)
- Malay Mail (Oct 2026): Women and Family Ministry approaches to domestic violence; Talian Kasih
- NST (June 2026): Talian Kasih 15999 calls
- Laws of Malaysia (official portal)
Related
Family law: marriage, divorce, maintenance and custodyLaw Reform (Marriage and Divorce) Act 1976Child Act 2001Penal CodeYour rights when arrestedGetting legal helpIslamic Family Law (Federal Territories) Act 1984 (Act 303)