PETALING JAYA, July 1 — Child marriage is ethically wrong and unlawful, Pakatan Harapan Wanita representatives said today.
Their statements followed the controversial marriage of an 11-year-old Thai girl to a 41-year-old Kelantanese man in Thailand last month.
“Child marriage violates girls’ rights to health, education and opportunity as it traps these girls in a cycle of poverty and violence.
“Many child wives are exposed to repeated pregnancies and childbirth before they are physically and psychologically ready,’’ DAP Wanita national assistant publicity secretary Syerleena Abdul Rashid said in a statement.
Syerleena also said it is ethically and psychologically wrong when an adult thinks that it is acceptable to marry a minor and said marriage is a legal contract that should only be reserved for adults who have reached both emotional and physical maturity.
With Malaysia practising both civil and Syariah judiciary system, Muslims living in the country are often caught between the two courts, said Syerleena.
This is made worse as several cultural, religious and traditional beliefs fuel the continuation of child marriage in the country, said Syerleena, with the justifications to do so often made by exploiting religious interpretation.
“Early marriages have no place in Islam and more so in this country because Islam prohibits doing anything that causes harm either to oneself or to others but most importantly, parents are obligated to protect their children from harm.
“While no minimum age for marriage is stipulated in Islam, reaching puberty, attaining sound judgement and maturity as well as having the capacity to fully understand the rights and responsibilities that come with marriage are clear preconditions in Islam,’’ she added.
Although it has been reported that the 41-year-old man had consent from the girl’s parents, Selangor PKR Srikandi chief Nurainie Haziqah Shafii said the marriage was still unlawful as the court did not approve of the union.
“The Islamic Family Law Enactment also clearly provides that the minimum age of marriage should not be less than 18 years old and if any woman under the age of 16 intends to marry, they must obtain written permission from the Syariah Court.
“What is more alarming is that this occurred because the couple was married in Thailand and had no written permission from the Court,’’ Nurainie said.
“I believe that children under the age of 18 must be in school, study and work to achieve their dreams, rather than be exposed to an early marriage,’’ she added.
Nurainie urged the government to take child marriage cases seriously by enacting a law to set 18 as the minimum age of marriage for women so that their rights are not violated in the name of religion.
