Unicef: 95pct agrees marriage to 14-year-old girl 'not right'

The United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef) says 95 percent of respondents to its recent poll on child marriage have agreed that marrying a 14-year-old girl is not right.

This overwhelming feedback was received from a public opinion poll by Unicef Malaysia, run through a social media application Line, following a recent statutory rape case in Sarawak involving a 14-year-old girl and subsequent marriage.

Unicef Malaysia representative, Marianne Clark-Hattingh, said in a statement that through the informal poll, it was heartening to know that Malaysians, especially young people and women did not support child marriage.

"Simply put, child marriage robs children of their childhood and is a violation of their rights," she said.

"Child brides risk complications during childbirth and are prone to domestic violence and abuse. Their daughters too are more likely to drop out of school and marry young," she said.

She stressed that allowing children to grow into healthy, educated adults was not only right in principle but also in practice, for the child, the future of their family and the sustainable and inclusive advancement of the nation.

Clark-Hattingh pointed out that for every year a girl is married before adulthood, her literacy reduces by 5.6 percent.

The poll also revealed that 86 percent of the respondents agreed that the minimum legal age for marriage in Malaysia should be 18 years and above, with almost 50 percent of female respondents to the poll saying that the minimum age should be 21 years and above.

The stand against child marriage was especially strong from the under-15 age group, as well as among the girls and women polled.

The poll was held from Aug 4 to 8 in which over 771 people participated, with 72 percent male and 28 percent female.

- Bernama