KUALA LUMPUR, April 14 -- Malaysia's main law on domestic violence does not protect everyone facing abuse - leaving those in non-marital relationships without access to critical safeguards.

While the Domestic Violence Act 1994 (DVA) provides a legal framework to protect survivors, its scope is limited to specific "domestic relationships", excluding unmarried intimate partners such as those who are dating, engaged, or no longer in a relationship.

The gap comes amid rising cases of domestic violence.

Police recorded 7,116 cases in 2024, up from 5,507 in 2023, while the Women's Aid Organisation (WAO) said its hotline received 50 calls in 2025 involving violence in non-marital relationships.

As more relationships exist outside formal marr...