COMMENT | There is an urgent need to address femicide, the gender-based murder of women and girls, in Malaysia. Alarmingly, in recent weeks, there have been two high-profile cases of femicide reported in the media.

On Aug 17, 10-year-old Nuraina Humaira Rosli was found dead in a swamp near Kampung Orang Asli Bersah, Pos Kuala Mu.

A month earlier, on July 17, 25-year-old Nur Farah Kartini Abdullah’s remains were discovered in an oil palm plantation in Kampung Sri Kledang, Hulu Selangor.

Both cases have since been investigated as murder under Section 302 of the Penal Code.

The current media reporting on both cases, however, misses a critical perspective - that these are cases of femicide...