An analysis on criminalizing forced sex in marriages in Malaysia / Faizah Khamarudin, Jaizah Jaafar Sidek and Hanisa Salehin.

The issue of marital rape has been a long discussed topic in almost all societies around the world. Although many women have been forced into sexual intercourse in marriages, the problem lies within the laws of most states which do not recognise marital rape as a crime so long as the marriage is in subsistence. Thus, by not recognising that a crime such as marital rape exists, it seems to suggest that men have the liberty of doing as they please in their homes towards their wives without taking into account the fact that their wives are just as much as a human as they are and not to be used as sex objects to satisfy their sexual needs. It also seems to portray that the rights and obligations of husband and wife are not at all the concern of the State since such a heinous and violent act in the home has not been legislated for the protection of women against violence. Therefore, in this research, we will attempt to unravel all the reasons why marital rape occurs and whether or not there are sufficient laws relating to such sexual abuse in the home. Besides that, we will also attempt to seek for remedies and solutions to the long standing problem faced by women in the home namely marital rape.