KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 23 — The parliamentary select committee (PSC) on gender and equality rights will have its first meeting after the Chinese New Year holidays.

Its chairman Nor Azrina Surip said the members of six newly formed committees will be meeting on February 8 to discuss issues to be included in the Anti-Sexual Harassment Bill.

“We will discuss the laws in relation to sexual harassment and we hope that this will materialise soon,” the Merbok MP told reporters after the launch of the launch of the NGO report “The Status of Women's Human Rights: 24 Years of Cedaw in Malaysia”.

She added that lawmakers have also made progress on the proposed Gender Equality Act and have built a good relationship with non-governmental organisations like the Women’s Action Organisation and the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia.

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“We came back from Cambodia recently and we had a dedicated parliamentary forum where we brought forward the issues on gender equality, especially human rights for women.

“We are working to push for the Gender Equality Act as fast as we can but this requires tabling a new law that needs to be debated in Parliament,” she said.

Meanwhile, a coalition of women groups urged the government to view the report positively and meet with stakeholders to discuss the related issues based on the standards set by the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (Cedaw).

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Former Cedaw committee member Shanthi Dairiam said while there were some gaps in the Federal Constitution when it comes to gender equality, she said developments on the political front were encouraging.

“In Article 8 of the Federal Constitution, it states that all individuals are equal but it is a declaratory statement that does not indicate how we become equal and under what conditions,” she said.

Malaysia ratified the Cedaw in 1995 and is reviewed by the UN every four years.

NGOs can take part in the review process by submitting reports on the government’s compliance with Cedaw.