THE rise in child marriages in Malaysia is deeply concerning, revealing questionable levels in its occurrence.
We cannot stand by and ignore the issue, especially when cases continue to go viral. The latest example is from a 15-year-old girl who shared her marriage certificate online, sparking nationwide concern.
This alarming act highlights the shortcomings in our system, as it was neither an adult nor an authority figure that publicised the marriage – it was the child herself.
With statistics from the Health Ministry and the Department of Statistics Malaysia showing a troubling increase in child marriage rates, the government should not continue turning a blind eye to child marriages.
Malaysia’s dual legal system, with civil and Sharia (Islamic) laws, sets different standards for the minimum age of marriage. While the minimum age is 16 for Muslim girls and 18 for boys, exceptions are readily granted by Sharia Courts.
Similarly, for non-Muslims, the minimum age is 18, but girls as young as 16 can marry with approval from the State Chief Minister. This loophole makes it disturbingly easy for children to enter into marriage.
There is an urgent need to raise the legal age of marriage to 18 years old in all areas to prevent early marriages.
One of the Resolutions of the 2022 Wanita MCA Annual General Meeting had urged the government to ban child marriages by increasing the legal age of marriage to 18 years of age, and thereby, demonstrate Malaysia’s determination to safeguard the safety, security and rights of minor children.
Cultural factors further complicate the issue, as conservative views on sex and sexuality often frame child marriage as a preventive measure against pre-marital sex, sexual impropriety, or pregnancies out of wedlock.
This is particularly true for girls, whose virginity is wrongly equated with dignity, leading to hasty marriages under social pressure or fear of prosecution.
The recent viral case also reveals systemic gaps in education, as the girl involved reportedly only completed primary school.
This highlights the urgent need for comprehensive family planning and sexual education in schools as early as primary.
We need to teach these children that child marriages have devastating consequences, both physically and mentally. Perhaps this education should even extend to adults and the governing bodies of Malaysia.
These children, often as young as 10 years old, are thrust into roles they are ill-equipped to handle, such as managing households and more complex of all, bearing children.
For girls whose bodies have not fully developed; who may not have even experienced regular menstruation, pregnancy can pose severe health risks, including life-threatening complications.
We cannot leave boys out of this situation too, as they face just as many challenges such as having to navigate the responsibilities of a marriage.
If these children have not even reached puberty, with undeveloped minds and bodies, yet alone the maturity that comes from growing and experiencing their youth and early adulthood years, how can they be expected to sustain a marriage or manage a household?
They should be in school, furthering their education, not tying themselves to a marriage they cannot sustain without physical and mental repercussions.
Raising the age for marriage must become a priority. It is time for Malaysia to open its eyes and act decisively to protect its children. We cannot continue upholding dignity if it comes at the price of children’s lives. – Nov 28, 2024
Chan Quin Er is the Wanita MCA secretary-general and MCA information chief.
The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Focus Malaysia.
