Pandemic woes may lead to more child marriages, says women’s group

 

Girls who marry young have a high risk of developing health complications due to early pregnancies. (Freepik pic)

PETALING JAYA: Women’s rights group Sisters in Islam has warned that the Covid-19 pandemic could lead to a rise in child marriage cases worldwide, including Malaysia.

The group’s communications officer Aleza Othman said the weak economy had forced many families into deeper poverty, driving some to marry off their daughters to help relieve their financial burdens.

“Marrying a daughter to someone who has the financial means to provide medical resources, particularly health insurance can be seen as a way to safeguard a young girl’s well-being during a health crisis.

“This is definitely not the case as girls who are married young have a high risk of developing health complications due to early pregnancies, lack of access to healthcare and increased exposure to sexually transmitted diseases,” she said.

Citing a report on Sabah community organisations, Aleza said Sabah recorded 955 marriages of girls under 18, of whom 505 were Muslim girls, between 2011 and 2016. A total of 5,215 non-Muslim child marriages also occured from 2005 to 2015.

Melissa Akhir.

She added that other publicly available information on marriages based on age in Malaysia was not available.

An annual international campaign against gender-based violence has called for action to protect girls from child marriage.

To date, only Selangor has raised the minimum legal marriage age for Muslims to 18, while the federal territories, Penang, Sabah, Johor, Melaka and Perak have agreed to amend their Islamic family laws.

Sabah Women’s Action Resource Group president Winnie Yee said education was crucial to change the mindsets of those living in rural areas, especially in Sabah, where marriage at the age of 14 was still common.

“They don’t see it as a problem because it’s so normalised, many generations have been practicing the same thing. For them it is just the way it is,” said Yee, adding that there was still a lack of formal education channels in these areas.

“Many of them do not have access to kindergartens or playschools, so when they go straight to standard one, they don’t even know how to hold a pencil, let alone count.

“These kids are left behind and struggle in school. This encourages many girls to drop out of school, after which they are pressured to be married off once they reach puberty.”

Women’s Aid Organisation capacity development director Melissa Akhir told FMT there was a pressing need to reform child marriage laws, as Malaysia had ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and other international treaties.

However, the shariah court, menteris besar and chief ministers still have the autonomy to approve marriages for those below the age of 16.

Melissa said it was important for the authorities in question to be provided with a medical report, child psychologist evaluation and social advocate opinion before they made a decision.

“The shariah court judge, menteri besar or chief minister must, at least, have a single one-on-one session with the child.

“If there is the slightest hint of sexual abuse and unwillingness on the part of the child, they should not hesitate to throw out the application and order a police investigation instead,” she said.

Melissa added that ignorance on childhood sexual education and objectification of children, particularly girls, were among the obstacles towards reforming the country’s laws.

Milo, 15, who is part of WAO’s Girls Takeover! network, said spreading awareness was the most important step in abolishing child marriage.

She stressed the need for young girls such as herself to use their voice against the issue, saying she had faced difficulties addressing girls’ rights to her peers as they did not take her seriously.

“Girls need to be girls,” she said. “We shouldn’t get trapped at home waiting for our husbands. I myself can’t imagine being married to someone at my age.”

Girls Takeover! Network is a chat channel in which girls may take part to talk to each other about any concerns they face. Anyone aged 12 to 18 is free to sign up and participate in the discussions. - FMT