VICTIMS of stalking will soon be able to apply for protection orders through a simplified process at local courts and police stations, said Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said.
The Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) said court documents to apply for a protection order under the Criminal Procedure Code (Act 593) are currently being drafted.
“The court documents which will be improved are proposed to be placed in strategic places such as service bureaus at court complexes and police stations across the country,” she said in a written reply.
“The proposed implementation on this matter is important for the victims, especially for those who are unable to afford legal representation in order to obtain a protection order immediately since they are experiencing fear, anxiety and trauma due to stalking by the perpetrator,” she said yesterday.
Azalina was responding to a question by Syahredzan Johan (PH-Bangi) on measures to increase protection for and to counsel victims of stalking, an act that has been criminalised under the Penal Code this year.
Azalina, who is also Pengerang MP, said the Legal Affairs Division is working with agencies such as the Attorney General’s Chambers, police, and the Registry Office of the Federal Court on enforcing the anti-stalking law which came into force on May 31.
Victims of the crime are able to obtain a protection order to legally restrain a suspected stalker.
Under the new Section 507A of the Penal Code, stalking is defined as a repeated act of harassment that is intended or is likely to cause distress, fear, or alarm to any person for their safety.
According to the amendments to the Penal Code and Criminal Procedure Code, stalkers can be investigated, charged in court, and punished with imprisonment of up to three years.
