Women's rights activist Zaitun Kassim said when MPs made derogatory comments about women, these comments were reported at international forums to show that the government was still a long way from ensuring gender equality.

For example, she said, statements in Parliament such as by PAS MP Abdul Fatah Harun recently that women who divorced their husbands were actually gatal, or promiscuous, would be part of an NGO Shadow Report that would be presented to a UN committee on the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) in New York on May 22.

Malaysia ratified CEDAW in July 1995 and as a result has committed itself to take all appropriate measures to eliminate discrimination against women.

Zaitun, who is also Sisters in Islam programme manager, will be jointly presenting the NGO Shadow Report to the CEDAW committee on women's status, and offers additional information on women's situation in Malaysia.

The Women, Family and Community Development Ministry will report to the CEDAW committee on May 24, following which the committee will make recommendations to the government.

"Sexist remarks are not isolated incidents that involve only the Opposition. Barisan Nasional MPs are guilty as well," Zaitun said, noting that the lack of gender sensitivity was prevalent at all levels of society.

She said there was a need for checks and balances within Parliament to show that the government was serious in fulfilling its obligations under CEDAW.

"MPs must be able to reprimand their colleagues who make such statements, and there should be concerted efforts by MPs to gender sensitise their colleagues," she added.

Zaitun said the government must also address the lack of data on women refugees and asylum seekers, stateless and trafficked women, women with disabilities and sexual minorities for it to better comply with its CEDAW obligations.

"Without proper data, it is difficult to plan and strategise ways to ensure these groups have equal opportunities and access to their rights to, for example, health, education and jobs," she said.

"All of us have heard anecdotes of estate women who don't have access to health facilities, for example, or pregnant migrants who are detained. These anecdotes may just be the tip of the iceberg," Zaitun said.

Women's Development Collective executive director Maria Chin Abdullah said the government's patchwork efforts at meeting its CEDAW obligations since 1995 were not good enough, adding that it had poor management of policies on women.