Lead the way and set standard
Set 18 as legal age to marry for a better M’sia, says Princess Mabel
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia has the potential to become a leader in ending child marriage, said Girls Not Brides chairman Princess Mabel van Oranje.
Princess Mabel, who is the widow of Prince Friso of the Netherlands, said she is optimistic about seeing Malaysia, led by a new government, reform its laws to ensure that the minimum age of marriage is set at 18, with no exceptions.
“I hope to see this change in both civil law and Islamic law. That means the Government needs to work together and unite forces with UN (United Nations) organisations and civil societies to come up with concrete programmes to help end child marriage.
“I know it can be done,” she said at the launch of the Girls Not Brides Global Meeting yesterday.
Malaysia played host to the global meeting that brought together civil society organisations, youth activists, government representatives, UN agencies and religious leaders from more than 70 countries with the aim of ending child marriage.
According to international standards, child marriage is defined as any marriage carried out below the age of 18.
In Malaysia, from 2011 to September 2015, 2,104 cases of child marriage have been recorded by the National Registration Department for 16yearold nonMuslim girls.
For Muslims, data from the Syariah Judicial Department revealed that between 2005 and 2015, there were 10,240 cases of child marriage.
It is still legal for children below the age of 18 to be married under Islamic laws in Malaysia.
Under civil law, nonMuslims can only marry from the age of 18. However, nonMuslim girls can marry as early as 16, provided they get the permission of the Chief Minister or Mentri Besar.
For Muslims, the minimum age of marriage is 16 for girls and 18 for boys. But exceptions can be made for girls or boys to marry at a younger age as long as they obtain the Islamic courts’ consent.
Customary law sets the minimum age to get married for girls at 16, and 18 for boys. A parent or legal guardian may give their written consent for underage marriages.
Princess Mabel expressed her hope that her team would meet with the Malaysian Government, UN officials, community leaders and religious leaders to discuss how Malaysia can put a stop to child marriage.
“I know Malaysia without child marriage would be a Malaysia that is better educated, healthier, more prosperous, and more equal,” she said.
A 2017 report published by the World Bank and the International Center for Research on Women indicated that child marriage will cost developing countries trillions of dollars by 2030.
“Children will stay in schools and have more earning power, they will save in the cost of healthcare, and when people have babies later they will also have fewer babies that have an effect on population growth,” the princess noted.
“There is a long list of reasons that basically tells you that if you want to create a world without poverty, we have to end child marriage. It is the economically smart thing to do.”