SEPTEMBER 21 — I wish to clarify my recent statement on the marriage of the 15-year-old to the 44-year-old divorcee in Kelantan which was based on a report from my officers from the Welfare Department.

The report stated that the marriage was sanctioned by the Mahkamah Rendah Syariah Tumpat and is legal according to current laws.

I wish to reiterate that I am against child marriages and do not condone it.

The best interest of the child must always be considered.

What I said was just a descriptive statement of what the child explained to my officers.

Marriage should not be used as a way out of poverty.

As Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Women, Family and Community Development, I reiterate that we will raise the minimum age of marriage to 18 years of age.

As part of the process, I chaired a meeting on Sept 13 to discuss this issue with all the relevant stakeholders.

Among the actions agreed upon include the following:

A paper will be prepared by JAKIM and KPWKM to raise the marriage age for Muslims.

This paper will then be presented to the Mesyuarat Menteri Besar dan Ketua Menteri (Meeting of Menteris Besar and Chief Ministers) to garner support from the states to raise the legal minimum age.

Selangor’s move to raise the minimum age for marriage to 18 should be emulated by other states.

A Cabinet Paper is also being prepared to raise the minimum age of marriage to 18 for non-Muslims.

For customary marriages, the respective customary heads will be informed of the dangers of underage marriages to the health and safety of the child and why a minimum age is so important.

Amending the law takes time. While waiting for that to take place, the ministry will meet Jabatan Kehakiman Syariah on stricter and more thorough guidelines for Syariah court judges in approving child marriages.

Risk factors of pregnancy and child birth at such a young age must be taken into account.

I have also spoken to the Minister in charge of Religious Affairs, YB Datuk Dr. Mujahid Yusof Rawa and Law & Parliamentary Affairs Minister, YB Datuk Liew Vui Keong to look at the loopholes and inconsistencies between Syariah and Civil laws in relation to child marriages.

I have also instructed my officers to examine current laws to ensure the welfare of children is taken care of.

Amending laws is only part of the solution. A holistic approach must include education, welfare nets, poverty eradication and support systems.

The protection and rights of children is of paramount importance to me and I will not compromise on that matter.

* Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail is the Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia 

**This is the personal opinion of the writer and does not necessarily represent the views of Malay Mail.