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THE recent killings of several women across Malaysia have exposed what experts describe as a deeply troubling pattern of gender-based violence that can no longer be dismissed as mere domestic disputes or crimes of passion.
In Kelantan, a 19-year-old college student was found dead with 61 stab wounds.
In Sabah, a woman was allegedly murdered and dismembered by her former fiancé after the collapse of their relationship, with body parts reportedly discovered in rubbish bins across Sepanggar.
In Perak, another woman’s death in a murder case has again raised difficult questions about violence against women and the repeated failure of early intervention systems.
According to criminologist Haezreena Begum Abdul Hamid, these incidents should not be viewed as ordinary murder cases but as manifestations of an escalating femicide crisis in Malaysia.
“This is not merely an ordinary murder case. It is a manifestation of increasingly alarming gender-based violence in Malaysia,” Berita Harian quoted her saying.
She argued that the manner in which the victims were killed carries critical criminological significance.
“The way these victims were murdered is highly significant. The brutality matters. The repeated stabbing matters. The treatment of the victim’s body matters.
“In criminology, all of this carries meaning. When a woman is stabbed 61 times, it is no longer simply an act intended to kill.”
She said such acts often reflect extreme rage, hatred, obsession, humiliation, possessiveness and a desire to dominate or punish the victim.
In cases involving dismemberment, she noted that the violence frequently points to an emotional or intimate relationship between perpetrator and victim, with the victim’s body becoming a symbol of control even after death.
“It reflects extreme anger, hatred, obsession, humiliation, possessiveness and the desire to dominate or punish the victim.
“The same applies in cases involving the dismemberment of a victim’s body. This rarely happens by coincidence. It usually involves an emotional or intimate relationship between the perpetrator and the victim. The victim’s body becomes a symbol of control and dominance even after death,” she said.
Haezreena warned that society’s tendency to frame such crimes as “relationship problems”, jealousy or personal disputes dangerously trivialises the reality of gender-based violence.
“That is why cases like these can no longer be regarded as ‘relationship problems’, ‘jealousy’, ‘loss of temper’ or ‘personal conflict’.
“Such language grossly minimises the reality. What we are witnessing is part of a pattern of femicide.”
She explained that femicide refers to the killing of women in contexts shaped by misogyny, domination, rejection, possessiveness and violence directed at women because of their gender identity.
In many femicide cases globally, she said, the killers are not strangers but husbands, former partners, boyfriends or fiancés.
Long before the killings occur, warning signs are often already present, including stalking, coercive control, isolation, excessive jealousy, emotional abuse and domestic violence.
Yet many of these behaviours continue to be normalised by society.
“We still hear phrases such as ‘He loved her too much’, ‘Couples fight, that’s normal’, ‘He was jealous because he loved her’, or ‘If the woman had left him earlier, perhaps this would not have happened’.
“These narratives are extremely dangerous because they subtly shift attention away from the perpetrator’s violence and towards the victim’s actions.
“More worrying still, they normalise control and abuse against women,” she said.
From a criminological perspective, she argued, femicide is fundamentally linked to issues of power and ownership, particularly when perpetrators are unable to accept rejection, separation or the loss of control over a woman who was once their partner.
“When that control is lost, violence becomes a tool to regain dominance.
“In some cases, the murder is not merely intended to end a life, but to ‘punish’ the victim for supposedly challenging the perpetrator’s ego, pride or authority,” she said.
She stressed that the number of stab wounds, the brutality involved and the relationship between perpetrator and victim are all crucial indicators that reveal the gendered nature of such violence.
Haezreena also criticised broader systemic and cultural failures, arguing that too many warning signs are ignored until tragedy strikes.
Complaints involving harassment, threats, stalking and abuse are often dismissed as private domestic matters, while victims may feel trapped by fear, shame, financial dependence or lack of confidence in protection systems.
“Femicide rarely begins with murder,” she said.
“It begins with control over women that society gradually allows and normalises. We ignore the threats, abuse and fear experienced by women.”
She said Malaysia could no longer afford to respond reactively and instead required stronger prevention mechanisms, firmer intervention against coercive and controlling behaviour, more effective protection systems for threatened women and better training for authorities to identify potential homicide risks.
Most importantly, she said, society must stop treating violence against women as something routine or inevitable.
“When women are stabbed dozens of times, dismembered, murdered with hatred by people they once trusted and loved, we can no longer call it merely a ‘domestic conflict’.
“We must have the courage to name the reality for what it is — femicide.” - May 14, 2026