Destitute Persons Act 1977
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| Destitute Persons Act 1977 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Parliament of Malaysia | |
| |
| Citation | Act 183 |
| Territorial extent | Throughout Malaysia |
| Passed by | Dewan Rakyat |
| Passed | 16 December 1976 |
| Passed by | Dewan Negara |
| Passed | 14 January 1977 |
| Royal assent | 3 March 1977 |
| Commenced | 15 November 1977 — Peninsular Malaysia; 27 January 1995 — Sarawak; 26 March 2012 — Sabah |
| Legislative history | |
| First chamber: Dewan Rakyat | |
| Bill title | Destitute Persons Bill 1976 |
| Introduced by | Sulaiman Daud, Deputy Minister of Lands and Regional Development |
| First reading | 24 November 1976 |
| Second reading | 15 December - 16 December 1976 |
| Third reading | 16 December 1976 |
| Second chamber: Dewan Negara | |
| Bill title | Destitute Persons Bill 1976 |
| Member(s) in charge | Aishah Ghani, Minister of General Welfare |
| First reading | 17 December 1977 |
| Second reading | 14 January 1977 |
| Third reading | 14 January 1977 |
| Repeals | |
| Vagrants Act 1965 [Act 19 of 1965] | |
| Amended by | |
| Destitute Persons (Amendment) Act 1977 [Act A404] Destitute Persons (Amendment) Act 1985 [Act A638] | |
| Keywords | |
| Beggars, homelessness, poverty, social welfare, vagrancy | |
| Status: In force | |
Destitute Persons Act 1977 (Malay: Akta Orang-Orang Papa 1977) is a Malaysian law that governs the care, rehabilitation and control of beggars and homeless persons. Under this Act, a beggar or homeless person may be placed into a welfare home for up to three years by the Social Welfare Department, after receiving approval from a magistrate, and such placement may be extended by the magistrate for another three years.
It replaced the Vagrants Act 1965, which previously criminalised the act of begging in public and beggars can only be placed into a welfare home if they were arrested by the police and subsequently found guilty by a court. With the introduction of this Act, the act of begging alone is no longer a crime, but resisting placement or escaping welfare home are.[1]