WELFARE OFFICERS MEET CHILD BRIDE
Marriage of 15-year-old girl to man 29 years her senior approved by syariah court
THE Welfare Department has sent its officers to meet an underaged girl who has married a man 29 years her senior in Tumpat, Kelantan.
Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, who is also women, family and community development minister, said this when asked about the case reported by the New Straits Times Press yesterday.
“My officers are there now. They have met her and they are going to look into it because we are trying to raise the (legal marriage) age to 18 (years old).
“But they have been married by the syariah court, so we have to go through that process.
“We have laws that, if broken, a fine would have to be paid.
“But (the syariah court has consented to the marriage). We have to abide (by that) because this is part of the state’s rules and regulations,” she said after launching Taska Krista@RedQ, a childcare centre, at the AirAsia headquarters here.
The NSTP yesterday reported that the 15-year-old girl had married a 44-year-old People’s Volunteer Corp member, who is a father of two. The girl is the man’s second wife.
The marriage was approved by the syariah court. The akad nikah (solemnisation of vows) took place at Masjid Kampung Laut in Tumpat in July.
The girl’s parents said poverty drove them to give their consent to their youngest daughter’s marriage to the man.
On the case of an autistic youth who was detained to facilitate investigations into a molest case, Dr Wan Azizah said there should be more awareness about autism, which affected a person’s development and behaviour.
“The mother had explained that he (the accused) had the mental age of a 13-year-old,” she said.
It was reported that the youth, 22, was detained following a report lodged by the victim last Tuesday.
Netizens had criticised the victim’s parents for lodging a police report even after the accused’s family had explained that the youth was autistic.
Netizens condemned the police over the arrest.
Police had applied for a remand order against the autistic youth to facilitate investigations, but the application was rejected by the Petaling Jaya magistrate’s court last Wednesday.
The youth was celebrating his birthday with his family at a restaurant in Subang Jaya when he was alleged to have touched the chest of a woman.
In a Facebook posting, the mother said her son “ran out and visited some of the shops around the restaurant” during the celebration when the alleged incident took place.