Officers from the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry are in Kelantan to meet a 15-year-old girl who reportedly tied the knot with a 44-year old man, its minister Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail said today.
This follows a report by the New Straits Times today on the marriage, which took place at Masjid Kampung Laut, Tumpat in July with the approval of the Syariah Court.
Wan Azizah, who is also the deputy prime minister, said while her officers are in Tumpat to look into the matter, there might be legal constraints as the ministry has to abide by Kelantan's laws.
"My officers are there now and they have met the girl. They are going to look into the matter because we are trying to raise the (marriage) age to 18," she told reporters after an event in Sepang.
The minister said that if any laws had been broken, the offender would have to pay a fine but her officers would also have to abide by syariah law.
The NST report added that the girl's parents had been driven by poverty to consent to their youngest daughter's marriage to the man, a People’s Volunteer Corp (Rela) member, who is married and has two children.
'Licence to groom'
Lawyers for Liberty executive director Latheefa Koya (photo), however, called Wan Azizah's response to the case "appalling," saying that it would only send a signal to paedophiles that they could get away with their crimes.
"This response from the deputy prime minister will be a licence for paedophiles around the country to groom, persuade or coerce children into 'marriage' for the purpose of having sexual intercourse with them.
"Instead of claiming that she can do nothing, the deputy prime minister must ensure that there is an immediate police investigation into whether sexual grooming contrary to the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017 has taken place," she said in a statement.
Latheefa, who sits on the PKR supreme council, claimed that paedophiles are now taking advantage of Putrajaya's inaction in an earlier child marriage case, in which 41-year-old Che Abdul Karim Che Hamid married an 11-year-old Thai national.
"The failure to take action against the pervert 'husband' in that case by Wan Azizah and her ministry has been an advertisement to other paedophiles that they can get away with it in Malaysia.
"Encouraged by the passivity of the Women's Ministry, paedophiles are now clearly using 'marriage' as a shield to prevent prosecution for rape or sexual grooming.
"This puts the children of this country, particularly Muslim children, in constant danger from perverts and paedophiles," her statement read.
Molestation case
Wan Azizah also said tha her ministry would also look into the case of 22-year-old Ahmad Ziqri Morshidi, who is autistic and was arrested by the police for allegedly molesting a woman.
The Star reported that a petition launched yesterday by Persatuan Child Sabah urging justice for Ahmad Ziqri had garnered 11,300 signatories within 17 hours.
The petition was addressed to the Women's Ministry and the inspector-general of police.
"The mother had explained that he has the mental age of a 13-year-old. We should look into the matter and leave it to the courts as well," said Wan Azizah.
On Sept 11, police apprehended Ahmad Ziqri after the parents of a 24-year old woman lodged a report against him for allegedly touching her chest.
The mother, Hasnah Abd Rahman, wrote in a Facebook post that she had just celebrated Ahmad Ziqri's birthday in Taman Tun Dr Ismail that day.
"When he goes to visit his favourite place Logenhaus for dinner, he will run out and visit some of the shops around. I did not realise that he actually touched a chest of an adult girl and she appeared traumatised.
"The parents made a police report against him despite all my explanations about his condition," she said in her Facebook post.
-Mkini
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