Govt ‘working hard’ for minimum marriage age
PUTRAJAYA: The road towards banning child marriage in Malaysia is long, but the work towards getting there is progressing well, says Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail.
The Deputy Prime Minister, who is also Women, Family and Community Development Minister, said the process involved multiple ministries as well as several law amendments, and therefore would take time.
“I have informed the Cabinet today that we are working hard towards raising the minimum age of marriage to 18, just like what Selangor has done.
“However, doing this will involve amending several laws. Some are under state laws, some are under the Syariah court.
“Also, amending the Penal Code would involve constitutional amendments.
“We are working with multiple ministries and work is actually progressing,” said Dr Wan Azizah after closing the 2018 National Women’s Day celebrations here.
The issue of child marriage continues to be hotly debated in Malaysia, following the latest case involving a 15-year-old girl who married a 44-year-old father of two in Kelantan.
The girl’s parents said they had consented to the marriage of their youngest daughter due to poverty.
Dr Wan Azizah said the man was a divorcee and that his marriage with the minor was his second.
Earlier in July, the public was outraged over reports that a 41-year-old father of six had married a girl 30 years younger than him as his third wife.
In her closing address at the event, Dr Wan Azizah stressed that the government was concerned about child marriage.
“The government is worried about the negative aspects child marriage can cause to a child, particularly girls, in social, health, education and financial terms.
“I have chaired a committee that consists of various agencies and we had a meeting on Sept 13, in which we unanimously agreed that the minimum age of marriage for girls must be raised to 18.
“Concerted efforts are being implemented by relevant agencies to ensure this can be realised as soon as possible,” said Dr Wan Azizah.
The theme of this year’s National Women’s Day celebrations is “Women, the Nation’s Hope”, which is meant create awareness among the public about the role of women in the family, community development and nation-building.