KUALA LUMPUR: Local non-governmental organisations (NG0s) are urging the authorities to adopt effective measures to raise the minimum age for marriage, following Indonesia’s decision to set it at 19 to curb child brides.
Women’s rights advocate and secretary-general of the Society for the Promotion of Human Rights, Ivy Josiah, said the education aspect on the issue should begin as soon as possible.
“It is without question that we should raise the minimum of age marriage to 18 for girls. At the same time, there must be a sustained public education strategy to reach out to parents, girls and communities on the rights of children, the pitfalls of child marriages and the inadmissibility of culture as a social defence.”
Women’s Aid Organisation (WAO) said while some states had raised the minimum age of marriage, chief ministers and Syariah courts could still allow child marriages to take place.
“Boys and girls are not ready for marriage. Such responsibility could be detrimental to children’s mental and physical health, education, future economic prospects and overall wellbeing,” said WAO’s head of outreach and capacity development Melissa Mohd Akhir.
“The government should announce a timeline for when it plans to prohibit child marriage, in accordance with the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) that Malaysia has ratified.
“If Indonesia can change its laws to prohibit child marriage, why not us?”
WAO urged the government to take extra measures to combat poverty, such as the introduction of compulsory secondary education and effective social programmes.
WAO also urged the government to commit to a timeline to enact a uniform minimum age of marriage in the country without exceptions.
Sisters in Islam (SIS) communication manager Majidah Hashim said schools were not equipped with facilities to handle emotional, social and physical needs of underaged pregnancies as a result of marriages, forcing many girls to stop schooling.
“The fact that child marriage is still legal contributes to these statistics. Most states in Malaysia have yet to take concrete steps to end child marriage in their states despite a directive issued by our Prime Minister (Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad) last year.
“Clear intents and efforts have been shown in states such as Selangor, Penang and Sabah, but until today, none of the states in Malaysia has raised the age of marriage to 18 for all children in the states, with no exceptions.”
Majidah said there was a lack of programmes aimed at the grassroots level to curb child marriages.
“It is unfair that issues pertaining to children have become accessory to political ambitions, more so considering that Malaysia plans to submit its first CRC report next year.
“We need active, concerted and collaborative steps to make meaningful, and not cosmetic, reforms to our education systems.
“At the same time, we need to remove physical, social and psychological barriers that stand in the way of children to achieve their fullest potential.”
Deputy Women, Family, and Community Development Minister Hannah Yeoh in late July last year announced that 14,999 child marriages have been recorded between 2007 and 2017, with Sarawak having the highest number of registered child marriages.
Child Rights Coalition Malaysia reported in 2009 that 32 children under the age of 10, 447 children between 10 and 14, and 8,726 children in the 15 to 19 age group had undergone pre-marital HIV tests.
In July last year, a 41-year-old man from Gua Musang married an 11-year-old girl in Thailand.
In September the same year, a 44-year-old man in Tumpat took a 15-year-old girl as his second wife with the approval from the Syariah Court.
The Law Reform (Marriage and Divorce) Act 1976 puts the minimum age for marriage at 18 but girls can marry at 16 after obtaining a licence from their state’s chief minister or menteri besar.
Those under 16 are not allowed to get married. In addition, the law makes it compulsory for either party who have not reached the age of 21 to seek permission to marry from their parents.
Meanwhile, the Islamic Family Law sets a minimum age of 18 for boys and 16 for girls. However, those under the legal age can seek permission to marry from the Syariah Court.