Prostitution Laws in Malaysia, 1916–1973: A Historical Perspective
Abstract
Laws concerning prostitution are crucial for regulating such activities, yet an in-depth examination of these laws remain inadequate. Many aspects of these regulations have yet to be thoroughly explored and debated. This study examines prostitution laws in Malaysia by analysing primary and secondary sources, including acts, written reports by the Islamic Religious Council and Malay Customs of Kelantan, journals, books, and theses. The discussion is divided into two parts. The first part examines the types of acts implemented in Malaysia to regulate prostitution activities, with a particular focus on the Women and Girls Protection Act 1973, its strengths and weaknesses, and other related acts. The second part explores the types of laws used to regulate prostitution in Kelantan, including notices, notifications, and recommendations. The findings indicate that the current laws have not effectively addressed the issue of prostitution in Malaysia generally and in Kelantan specifically. Therefore, non-legal measures by the government, non-governmental organizations, and the society must complement existing laws to better address this issue.
Keywords: Registration of Guest Act 1965, prostitution, Women and Girls Protection Act 1973, Kelantan, Majlis Agama Islam dan Istiadat Melayu Kelantan, brothel
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References
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24. MAIK. (135/16). “Berkenaan dengan perempuan tua yang menjadikan barua titahnya minta diberhentikan mereka yang semacam itu daripada menjalankan pekerjaannya”.
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26. MAIK. (280/31). “Cadangan hendak dijalankan semua kuasa berkenaan dengan perempuan jahat itu kerana pada masa ini terlampau banyak pada merata tempat dan daerah”.
27. MAIK. (361/22). “Berkenaan dengan memberi notis kepada tempat-tempat perempuan duduk di dalam kawasan bandar”.
28. Pejabat Menteri Kelantan (3/16). Berkenaan dengan perempuan jahat.
29. Penal Code (Kanun Keseksaan F.M.S.) Cap. 45. Revised (1997). Percetakan Nasional Malaysia Bhd.
30. Ruslan Khatib. (1966). Pelacuran Melayu di Kuala Lumpur [Latihan ilmiah yang tidak diterbitkan]. Universiti Malaya.
31. Scarpa, S. (2006). Child trafficking: International instruments to protect the most vulnerable victims. Family Court Review, 44(3), 429–447.
32. Shahed, S. M. M. (2020). Legal framework on prostitution and human trafficking: A comparative analysis between Malaysia and other countries. Journal of Legal Studies, 11(2).
33. Shaik Mohamed Mohd Sahed. (1977). Pelacuran: Kawalan sosial dan undang-undang di Malaysia dengan rujukan khas di Pulau Pinang [Latihan ilmiah yang tidak diterbitkan]. Universiti Malaya.
34. Taylor, L. R., & Raymond, R. J. (2019). Gender inequality and the vulnerability of women to trafficking. Health and Human Rights Journal, 10(1), 43–53.
35. Warren, J. F. (1993). Ah Ku and Karayuki-San: Prostitution in Singapore 1870–1940. Oxford University Press.
36. Weitzer, R. (2005). Prostitution policy: Revolution or repetition? New York University Press.
37. Yamin, R., & Seifert, D. J. (2019). The archaeology of prostitution and clandestine pursuits. University Press of Florida.
2. Abdul Hadi Zakaria. (1998). Haruan makan anak: Inses di Semenanjung Malaysia. Yayasan Pencegahan Jenayah Malaysia.
3. Benoit, C., Jansson, M., Millar, A., & Phillips, R. (2005). Community-academic research on hard-to-reach populations: Benefits and challenges. Qualitative Health Research, 15(2), 263–282. https://doi.org/10.1177/1049732304272044
4. Benoit, C., Jansson, M., Smith, M., & Flagg, J. (2017). Well, it should be changed for one, because it’s our bodies: Workers’ views on Canada’s punitive approach towards sex work. Social Sciences, 6(2), 52–69.
5. Chang, S. F. (2021). Intimate itinerancy: Sex, work, and Chinese women in colonial Malaya’s brothel economy, 1870s–1930s. Journal of Women’s History, 33(4), 92–117. https://doi.org/10.1353/jowh.2021.0046
6. Clinard, M. B., & Meier, R. F. (1992). Sosiology of deviant behaviour. Harcourt Brace Jovanovich College Publishers.
7. Daud Mohammad. (1999). Sejarah penubuhan mahkamah syariah dan perkembangan undang-undangnya di negeri Kelantan. Al-Wasilah, 2(Jun).
8. Deb, S., Srivastava, N., Chatterjee, P., & Chakraborty, T. (2005). Processes of child trafficking in West Bengal: A qualitative study. Social Change, 35(2), 112–123.
9. Fellows, K. R., Smith, A. J., & Munns, A. M. (Eds.). (2020). Historical sex work: New contributions from history and archaeology. University Press of Florida.
10. Gullick, J. M. (1970). Sistem politik Bumiputera Tanah Melayu Barat. Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka.
11. Haryati Hasan (2003). Pelacuran wanita Melayu Kelantan sebelum Perang Dunia Kedua: Satu cerakinan sebab-musabab. Jurnal Ilmu Kemanusiaan, 8(1).
12. Haryati Hasan. (2004). Wanita Kelantan dan pelacuran: Satu kes kajian di Kota Bharu, 1950an–1970an [Tesis doktor falsafah yang tidak diterbitkan]. Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia.
13. Haryati Hasan. (2005). Malay women and prostitution in Kota Bharu, Kelantan, 1950s–1970s. Journal of the Malaysian Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society, 1, 97–120.
14. Haryati Hasan. (2015). Faktor berlakunya pelacuran berdasarkan laporan MAIK. SIPATAHOENAN: South-East Asian Journal for Youth, Sports & Health Education, 1(2), 189–198.
15. Hassan Abd. Ghani. (1984). Pelacur dan profesion pelacuran di kalangan gadis bawah umur dan kawalan undang-undang di Malaysia [Latihan ilmiah yang tidak diterbitkan]. Universiti Malaya.
16. Hubbard, P. J. (2018). Sex and sexuality: Exploring the geographies of prostitution. Dlm. J. Agnew & M. Coleman (Eds.), Handbook on the geographies of Power. Edward Elgar.
17. Laws of Malaysia, Act 381. (2006). Registration of Guest Act. 1965, Seksyen 3(1). (Reprint). The Commissioner of Law Revision Malaysia dan Percetakan Nasional Malaysia Bhd.
18. Laws of Malaysia, Act 106. (2006). Women and Girls Protection Act 1973. (Repealed by Act 611). The Commissioner of Law Revision Malaysia dan Percetakan Nasional Malaysia Bhd.
19. Laws of Malaysia, Act 155. (2006). Immigration Act 1959/63. (Reprint). The Commissioner of Law Revision Malaysia dan Percetakan Nasional Malaysia Bhd.
20. Laws of Malaysia, Act 377. (2006). Resticted Residence Enactment. (Reprint). The Commissioner of Law Revision Malaysia dan Percetakan Nasional Malaysia Bhd.
21. Laws of Malaysia, Act 79. (2006). Banishment Act 1959. (Reprint). The Commissioner of Law Revision Malaysia dan Percetakan Nasional Malaysia Bhd.
22. Laws of Malaysia. Act 336. (2006). Minor Offences Act 1955. (Reprint). The Commissioner of Law Revision Malaysia dan Percetakan Nasional Malaysia Bhd.
23. Laws of Malaysia. Act 611. (2006). Child Act 2001. (Reprint). The Commissioner of law revision Malaysia dan Percetakan Nasional Malaysia Bhd.
24. MAIK. (135/16). “Berkenaan dengan perempuan tua yang menjadikan barua titahnya minta diberhentikan mereka yang semacam itu daripada menjalankan pekerjaannya”.
25. MAIK. (262/22). “Minta hukuman hendak dijalankan di atas seorang yang bernama Saleh bin Midin Kampung Kelubi yang telah melakukan pekerjaan barua perempuan jahat di dalam bandar Pasir Putih”.
26. MAIK. (280/31). “Cadangan hendak dijalankan semua kuasa berkenaan dengan perempuan jahat itu kerana pada masa ini terlampau banyak pada merata tempat dan daerah”.
27. MAIK. (361/22). “Berkenaan dengan memberi notis kepada tempat-tempat perempuan duduk di dalam kawasan bandar”.
28. Pejabat Menteri Kelantan (3/16). Berkenaan dengan perempuan jahat.
29. Penal Code (Kanun Keseksaan F.M.S.) Cap. 45. Revised (1997). Percetakan Nasional Malaysia Bhd.
30. Ruslan Khatib. (1966). Pelacuran Melayu di Kuala Lumpur [Latihan ilmiah yang tidak diterbitkan]. Universiti Malaya.
31. Scarpa, S. (2006). Child trafficking: International instruments to protect the most vulnerable victims. Family Court Review, 44(3), 429–447.
32. Shahed, S. M. M. (2020). Legal framework on prostitution and human trafficking: A comparative analysis between Malaysia and other countries. Journal of Legal Studies, 11(2).
33. Shaik Mohamed Mohd Sahed. (1977). Pelacuran: Kawalan sosial dan undang-undang di Malaysia dengan rujukan khas di Pulau Pinang [Latihan ilmiah yang tidak diterbitkan]. Universiti Malaya.
34. Taylor, L. R., & Raymond, R. J. (2019). Gender inequality and the vulnerability of women to trafficking. Health and Human Rights Journal, 10(1), 43–53.
35. Warren, J. F. (1993). Ah Ku and Karayuki-San: Prostitution in Singapore 1870–1940. Oxford University Press.
36. Weitzer, R. (2005). Prostitution policy: Revolution or repetition? New York University Press.
37. Yamin, R., & Seifert, D. J. (2019). The archaeology of prostitution and clandestine pursuits. University Press of Florida.
Published
2025-01-28
How to Cite
HASAN, Haryati; HUSSIN, Nafisah Ilham.
Prostitution Laws in Malaysia, 1916–1973: A Historical Perspective.
Kanun: Jurnal Undang-undang Malaysia, [S.l.], v. 37, n. 1, p. 53-74, jan. 2025.
ISSN 2682-8057.
Available at: <https://jurnal.dbp.my/index.php/Kanun/article/view/8991>. Date accessed: 31 jan. 2025.
doi: https://doi.org/10.37052/kanun.37(1)no3.
Section
Articles
