SEPTEMBER 20 — “Mutually (liking) one another” or the “girl consented” should never be exploited as an excuse by the Deputy Prime Minister cum Minister of Women, Family and Community Development Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah to cast away safeguarding children’s rights.
The Women Ministry is urged to emulate the state decree by the Sultan of Selangor and amend Parliamentary Acts to raise the legal marriage of children to 18 years.
On the case of a 15-year old girl who tied the knot with a 44-year old RELA member in Tumpat, Dr Wan Azizah’s assertion that “My officers had gone there and investigated, and found that they mutually liked one another and that the girl had consented to the marriage” is simply outrageous.
If a seven-year old girl claims that she is willing to wed an adult male, will the Women Ministry deem such a situation equally acceptable?
In these two months since news of the child marriage in Gua Musang, the Women Ministry has been dodging and shirking its responsibility, and holds no sincerity to solve the problem.
The Deputy Prime Minister offered the excuse that on child marriage, the federal “government must abide by the Syariah courts as it is also state’s regulations (The Sun Daily, 18 Sept 2018), and now says the “girl consented to the marriage”.
As there is no sense of any urgency to rush to protect the rights of children, what roles do the current Women Ministry under PH actually perform?
The child marriage incident is not dependent on whether the underage bride consented or not, but rests on the body and emotions of minors under 18 years need to be safeguarded. After all, being to tender in age, they do not have sufficient life experiences or the maturity to decide their own lifelong events. Moreover, adolescence is a golden age for self discovery and improvement.
In addition, according to Section 611 of the Child Act 2001, any sexual relationship with underage girls below the age of 16 years, whether if she is consensual to the intercourse or not, the offence of rape has been committed. Moreover, the legal age of an adult in our country is 18 years. What reason cans the Women Ministry provide as to why they had considered the 15-year old girl to be liable for her own words and deeds?
This explains why Dr Wan Azizah is not making a fuss over the child marriage, has stopped pursuing the predator and concurs with this child marriage. Unfortunately, avoiding action encourages the ill culture of child marriages in Malaysia.
Dr Wan Azizah and the Women Ministry under PH will be best remembered as the debauchers of the body and soul of underage children!
I must reiterate that the legislations and enforcements to end child marriages cannot be delayed any longer. Wanita MCA strongly stresses that child marriage should be classified as a criminal offence under federal legislations. Irrespective of religious beliefs or ethnic background, the government must demonstrate its determination to defend the rights and safety of minor children.
We support any proposals to render child marriage a criminal offence under federal law, be it via Section 611 of the Child Act 2001, Section 792 of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017 and the Penal Code.
Only through amendments to the Federal Constitution to raise the minimum legal age to marry to 18 years, and action taken against offenders under the Penal Code will resolve the issue of child rape under the guise of marriage once and for all.
*Datuk Heng Seai Kie is Wanita MCA chairman.
**This is the personal opinion of the writer and does not necessarily represent the views of Malay Mail.
