What Malaysian citizens or permanent residents will face penalties abroad?

Question

Accepted Answer

Malaysian citizens and permanent residents who commit sexual offences against children overseas can be punished under the amended law.

The Bill to amend the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017 seeks to make certain offences committed outside Malaysia punishable when they involve a Malaysian child or permanent resident. It also extends to sexual offences against children committed overseas by Malaysian citizens or permanent residents.
Offences abroad involving Malaysian child victims are covered

The amendment to section 3 of Act 792 states that offences committed outside Malaysia are punishable if the child involved is a Malaysian citizen or a permanent resident. This means the law is being extended beyond Malaysia’s borders for cases with that specific link to the country.
Malaysian citizens and permanent residents are also covered overseas

The Bill further says the Act will apply to sexual offences against children committed overseas by Malaysian citizens or permanent residents. That places the offender’s Malaysian citizenship or residency within the scope of the proposed extra-territorial application.
The proposed reach also includes habitual residents in Malaysia

The proposed substitution of section 3 goes further by covering offences committed outside Malaysia by a permanent resident or a person whose habitual residence is in Malaysia. It also applies to offences by any person against a child who is a Malaysian citizen, a permanent resident, or a habitual resident in Malaysia.
The Bill has already been tabled in the Dewan Rakyat

The Sexual Offences against Children (Amendment) Bill 2026 was tabled for its first reading in the Dewan Rakyat by Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said. She said it would be tabled for its second reading during the current parliamentary sitting.

Reading history

Hide →

This history is cleared when the page is closed.

What Malaysian citizens or permanent residents will face penalties abroad?

Loading

Was this article helpful?

Helpful

Not helpful

Report an issue

1

0

0

Share with friends