Malaysia’s First Bodily Autonomy Report Is Out And Women Are Still Fighting For Basic Rights

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For many women, the right to decide what happens to their own bodies is often spoken of as a basic freedom. But in Malaysia, a new study suggests that for many, that freedom remains deeply constrained, not just by laws or institutions, but by expectations inside their own homes.

Bodily Autonomy in Malaysia, a major new report released in 2026 by SIS Forum (formerly Sisters in Islam), has put hard numbers to something many women in this country have long felt but rarely spoken about: the quiet, daily erosion of their right to make decisions about their own bodies.

The study is the first of its kind in Malaysia, and here’s what it found after surveying over 1,000 women nationwide. They spoke in depth with Indigenous communities, women with disabilities, young women, and LGBTQIA individuals, and found both sobering and hopeful stories.

On marital duty

When researchers asked women currently in a marriage or sexual relationship whether they could refuse sex with their partner, only 52% said yes. Another 37% said they could, but only sometimes. 6% said they could not refuse at all.

68% of respondents said they can’t turn down their husbands because “It’s their marital duty.” Religious beliefs came second at 59%, followed by fear of their partner’s anger at 14%.

The picture is even starker among Malay and Muslim women. Only 44% said they could refuse sex, compared to roughly three-quarters of Chinese and Indian women. Education and income differences made a significant difference too: women with secondary school qualifications or below, and those earning less than RM3,000 a month, reported far less ability to say no.

These numbers paint an uncomfortable picture for Malaysia. When benchmarked against the United Nations gender equality indicator that measures women’s decision-making power over healthcare, contraception, and sex, Malaysia scores just 45%. That’s below the global average of 55% and dramatically behind the East and Southeast Asia regional average of 76%. On sexual autonomy, the regional benchmark is 86%, while Malaysia is at 51%.

The healthcare gap no one talks about

68% of Malaysian women said they can access healthcare. This looks good on paper, but when dug deeper, some cracks began to show.

Only 47% women surveyed had ever used reproductive healthcare services such as Pap smears, prenatal care, fertility treatment, or menopause-related therapy. For students, the figure drops to just 13%, and for the unemployed 29%. Usage was lowest of all among women aged 18 to 24, and 55 and above.

When it comes to the use of contraception, only 44% of women reported ever needing it. 59% said it’s entirely their responsibility, while only 11% say their partner is the one who takes charge of it.

In Malaysia, therapeutic abortion is legal when a pregnancy poses a risk to the mother’s physical or mental health. Most women do not know this. Fewer than half (45%) are aware that abortion is legal under certain circumstances. One in five believes it is entirely illegal. In Kelantan, 42% of women believe it is completely outlawed for Muslim women, and that’s nearly double the national rate.

The data is clear: Without awareness of their legal rights, these women cannot exercise them.

On women’s clothes

78% of women agree that people should be free to choose how they dress, while 54% say they can actually do so without judgment or restriction. Only 30% of students said they can dress without fearing negative consequences.

One in three women (31%) has experienced criticism, punishment, or restriction from family, community, school, employer, or the authorities because of what they wore.

Religious expectations are the most cited source of pressure (51%), and by 79% of women in Terengganu and 66% in Kelantan.

The experience is far more severe for LGBTQIA individuals. 81% reported experiencing criticism, punishment, and restriction due to their gender expression. A third experienced pressure to change their sexual orientation or gender identity, while 12% were forcibly subjected to therapy or institutionalisation without their consent.

On violence against women

Nearly half of all women surveyed (43%) have experienced at least one form of sexual harassment or violence. Younger women, aged 18 to 34, bear the brunt, reporting the highest rates across almost every category.

The most common:

• Inappropriate touching (24%)
• Unwanted sexual comments or gestures (21%)

The picture is starker online, with 41% of women reporting at least one form of online gender-based violence, such as:

• Unwanted sexual messages or images (33%)
• Cyberstalking (13%)
• Non-consensual sharing of images (9%) among them. Among LGBTIQA respondents, that figure jumps to 73%.

It’s not a surprise that 63% of women avoid sharing photos of themselves online because they fear harassment.

Most incidents go unreported; only 36% told any authority. The reasons are that they think it wasn’t serious enough (35%), fear of not being believed (33%), shame or stigma (32%). For LGBTQIA survivors, the rate falls to just 5%.

What schools fail to teach

Many Malaysians learned about their bodies from the internet. Only 63% of women said the internet was their primary source of information on reproductive health and bodily autonomy.

40% of women said the school provided no comprehensive sexuality education. If it was taught, it mostly focused on biology and moral guidance, with minimal attention to consent, relationships, or rights.

Meanwhile, 23% of women said teachers conducted period checks on them at school. The numbers rose to 31 to 36% among those aged 18 to 34. 14% experience pressure at school to wear the hijab.

However, there’s a hopeful part in all this data. When asked whether Malaysian schools should provide comprehensive sexuality education, 88% of women and 85% of men said yes.

More needs to be done so women get the help they need

Across all the topics surveyed, women in Sabah and Sarawak face the most severe healthcare access barriers. Indigenous women in remote areas have to walk for hours to reach clinics that are barely equipped for basic ailments. Some are pressured to undergo contraception or sterilisation without fully understanding the procedures.

Meanwhile, women with disabilities also encounter healthcare staff who grab and guide them without asking for consent. The staff also assume they’re incompetent and speak to the people accompanying the woman instead. Additionally, those who are deaf had to rely on private healthcare because government hospitals lack sign language interpreters.

It’s harder for LGBTQIA individuals because the barriers are compounded by criminalisation and stigma that make healthcare feel like a threat rather than a resource.

TLDR: Most women in Malaysia do not know their rights, and they cannot advocate for themselves fully without knowing.

The report also outlined recommendations to improve conditions for Malaysian women. The full report can be read here.

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