KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 28 — The government must be more courageous in making a firm decision on the issue of child marriage, lawyer and human rights activist Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan said today.

She said the rights of children must be protected and banning child marriage would only require the government to pass a legislation against it.

“I think the government should not be afraid and I know there will be different groups saying different things (like) culture and religion, but the government must have courage and the government must lead the way on the issue of child marriage.

“And that is what I like to see. They need to be crystal clear about it,” she said on the Bernama News Channel (BNC) The Nation ‘live’ talk show at Wisma Bernama.

Her comment comes in the wake of the child marriage controversy in the country, with the issue having been heavily debated by many quarters.

The controversy was sparked by the marriage of an 11-year-old girl to a 41-year-old man in Kelantan in July. A similar case was also reported in the same state early this month where a 15-year-old girl was married off to a 44-year-old man, purportedly due to family poverty.

Ambiga said to Bernama later that banning child marriage is a no-brainer.

“I think it’s very hard for anyone to argue that banning of child marriage is very bad for Malaysia as a whole. I think it is one of the things that our government should do by passing legislation and they must do that because our children are the most precious things to us. They are the future of our country and you cannot get them married off at 11 years of age,” she said.

On another matter, Ambiga said the present new government is doing well despite facing many challenges and having to clean up the problems left behind by the previous government.

“The expectations of them have been very high so far except for a few issues. I think they have done well. I like to see them have more courage when it comes to sensitive issues.

“They must prepare the ground to engage people who are against sensitive issues and start engaging people who are against each other and we build on a platform of unity,” she said. — Bernama