Malaysian lawyers have accused Malacca police of acting unlawfully after a skirt-wearing mother and daughter were barred from entering a station to report a car accident, reigniting debate over censorious standards applied to how women dress in government buildings.
The pair were involved in a car accident but turned away from a Jasin district police station on Monday as they attempted to make a report.
Malacca state police chief Dzulkhairi Mukhtar has defended his officer’s action “due to non-compliance with the dress code for government premises”, prompting outcry from lawyers who said police had overstepped the mark.
Calling it a “violation” of constitutional rights, Rajesh Nagarajan, a human rights lawyer, demanded that police rescind this dress-code policy immediately.
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He said it was deeply troubling that the force had chosen to act as “moral police” by imposing dress codes on victims, adding officers must not block citizens from seeking police assistance based on assessments of their appearance.
“This runs counter to principles of fairness, non-discrimination and equal protection under the law,” he told This Week in Asia.
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The Malaysian government dress code requires both men and women to wear what is deemed to be appropriate clothing, such as long trousers, skirts below the knees and tops with sleeves, while shorts, flip-flops, sleeveless tops and tight gym wear are banned from any official premises.
It also applies to men – but is more commonly used against women, with critics saying its implementation is arbitrary.