KOTA KINABALU, Aug 9 — The government will account for all religious and cultural considerations when it decides on the age limit for marriages to resolve the issue of child brides, said de facto law minister Datuk VK Liew.
Liew said that he was in talks with Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail and bodies such as Islamic agencies and cultural authorities in Sabah and Sarawak to determine the appropriate age restriction.
“We are looking into setting up an age limit into child marriage. The discussion is open but we are looking at various implications from setting the age limit at 16 or 18,” he said.
He explained that there were various points of views that must be considered, both religious and cultural.
The minister highlighted that Sabah and Sarawak have traditionally allowed those under 16 to be married with parental consent.
Shariah law also permits the same with the approval of the chief minister or mentri besar of the state in which the marriage will take place, he said.
“Most important is to ensure the interest of the child is taken care of and child is not abused. We don’t want to allow peadophiles to take advantage of this loophole to satisfy their desires,” he said.
Liew, who was speaking to reporters after attending an event at the new court building here, said he was sure they will arrive at a solution amicable to most.
He said a legal solution should be available soon after an agreement is reached on the matter.
“The Islamic bodies are reasonable members of society too, and they will want to protect the interest of children.”
In Malaysia, the legal minimum age for marriage under civil law for both genders is 18, with marriages involving a girl aged 16 requiring the consent of the state's chief minister or mentri besar.
Shariah laws here places the legal marrying age for Muslim boys and girls at 18 and 16, with both boys and girl below these ages allowed to be married off with the consent of the Shariah court.
Last month, news of a 41-year-old man taking an 11-year-old Thai girl as his third wife in Kelantan renewed the controversy over child marriages and drew calls for the practice to be stopped.
The Women, Family and Community Development Ministry subsequently said it would work with with the Islamic affairs minister at the Prime Minister’s Department to raise the minimum legal age for marriage in all relevant laws to 18 years old.
The ministry said this would involve the Islamic Family Law (Federal Territory) Act 1984, Islamic Family Law Ordinance (Sarawak) 2001, Islamic Family Law Enactments of each state, Law Reform (Marriage and Divorce) Act 1976, and customary laws of ethnic groups in Sarawak.
