A group of women’s rights NGOs said today that it was unnecessary for the government to issue dress code guidelines for Muslim employees in the private sector, which are meant to prevent workplace discrimination against Muslims who dress in line with religious teachings.
The NGOs further added that concerns about workplace discrimination based on how one dressed could instead be tackled through amendments to existing laws which addressed discrimination against gender and religion.
The Joint Action Group for Gender Equality (JAG) was responding to the Human Resources Ministry’s recent statement that the dress code guidelines are currently being finalised.
In a statement, JAG said: "According to the ministry, the dress code is meant to address discrimination against Muslim women who wear the headscarf.
"We believe that such discrimination can be tackled through upcoming amendments to the Employment Act, the Sabah Labour Ordinance, and the Industrial Relations Act."
The statement was endorsed by eight women’s rights groups, namely the All Women's Action Society, Association of Women Lawyers, Perak Women for Women Society, Persatuan Kesedaran Komuniti Selangor, Women's Aid Organisation, Sisters in Islam, Sarawak Women for Women Society, and Justice for Sisters.
The statement further stated that the pending amendments would include protection against discrimination on the basis of gender and religion.
The NGOs expressed their concern that a dress code could have unintended consequence of ostracising both Muslim men and women who choose not to comply with the dress code.
"(This could) in turn subject them to social pressure, harassment, and, ironically, further discrimination," the NGOs said.
They argued that a dress code, even one that is "optional" or non-binding, sets norms and expectations of what people should or should not wear.
"Rather than policing people's clothing through guidelines that restrict rights and place the burden on individuals to conform, the government should introduce laws to stop employers from discriminating against employees based on their dress and gender,” they said.
JAG stressed that it stands by the right of every person to choose how he or she dresses.
In August last year, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Mujahid Yusof Rawa announced that the government would prepare a set of syariah-compliant dress code guidelines for the private sector, which was estimated to be completed by the end of the year.
Among the industries involved are the hotel industry and airline industry.
Subsequently, the Women's Aid Organisation accused Mujahid of policing women’s clothing, stating that the guidelines were allegedly sexist and would restrict women's freedom of expression.
Bernama had reported on Tuesday that the final draft of the guidelines was being finalised for its implementation.
The Human Resources Ministry had reportedly said that Malaysia would take into account the views of the National Labour Advisory Council before introducing the guidelines.
It further added that the guidelines will only apply to Muslim workers in the private sector and that they were vital for addressing possible instances of workplace discrimination.
