Why Women Commit Filicide: Opinions of Health, Social Work, Education and Policy Professionals in Malaysia

Abstract

Although filicide is discussed with concern in the print media and online in Malaysia, there is little empirical evidence about its aetiology or appropriate responses. We sought to elucidate the opinions of health, social work, education and policy professionals in Malaysia on the causes of, and solutions to, filicide. Fifteen informants participated in semi‐structured qualitative interviews. Informants attributed responsibility for filicide to girls and women as a consequence of their failure to comply with social norms and religious teachings; the stigmatised social position of women who are pregnant and unmarried was identified as a contributing factor. No informant mentioned the impact of gender‐based violence, including sexual violence against girls and women. Informants' views reflect the dominant discourse of filicide in Malaysia, which is that it results from women's failure to adhere to Malaysian norms of morality, religion, customs and traditions. Solutions were largely directed at changing the behaviour of girls and women. Given the disparities between the public discourse and evidence of the experiences of women convicted of filicide, interventions that promote social change might be more effective than strategies targeting women. Key Practitioner Messages There are adverse consequences for children and women in Malaysia when responsibility for child safety is placed on individual women and not referred to a society structured on strict gender roles and masculine power. Practitioners in Malaysia would benefit from international support to understand the effects of marginalised women's experiences.

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“…Razali et al . () compare these findings in relation to their previous research with women convicted of filicide in Malaysia (Razali et al ., ) and conclude that interventions that promote social change, improve support to women and their access to services, and change social attitudes might be more effective than strategies targeting women's behaviour. We can all learn from these lessons.…”

“…Fifteen participants (14 of whom were women) were interviewed and data were analysed using Braun and Clarke's () thematic approach. A key finding of the study was that professionals attributed responsibility for filicide cases predominantly to individual women and girls: ‘as a consequence of their failure to comply with social norms and religious teachings; the stigmatised social position of women who are pregnant and unmarried was identified as a contributing factor’ (Razali et al ., , p. 73). Surprisingly, no interviewees talked about the impact of gender‐based violence against women and girls.…”

“…In the next paper, Razali et al . () report on a qualitative study which they state is the first in Malaysia to investigate filicide from the perspectives of key professionals working in the field, including health, social work and education. Fifteen participants (14 of whom were women) were interviewed and data were analysed using Braun and Clarke's () thematic approach.…”

“…Razali et al . 's () paper makes interesting and potentially disturbing reading. Research on maternal filicide frequently emphasises the complex circumstances and context behind such events – in particular, the contributions of adverse childhood experiences, domestic violence, mental health problems and social deprivation (Friedman and Resnick, ; Klier et al ., ; Sidebotham and Retzer, ).…”

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“…The phrase sent off emphasize the notion that these children are regarded as spirits (non-human). A recent study in Malaysia found that perpetrators of filicide used the phrases "it" and "the thing" to characterize their victim, due to the religious beliefs that supported the killing (Razali et al, 2019(Razali et al, , 2020.…”