Kuantan MP Fuziah Salleh is the latest to chide Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Religious Affairs) Idris Ahmad for insisting the government will maintain the minimum marriage age for Muslim girls at 16.
Efforts to raise the marriage age to 18 were initiated under the National Strategy Plan in Handling the Causes of Child Marriage in January 2020 by the then Pakatan Harapan federal government.
However, it faced resistance from several states. Muslim marriages fall under the jurisdiction of the states and changes to the law require consent from their respective rulers.
Harapan-ruled Selangor, with the backing of its sultan, and Penang have amended their laws to raise the marriage age to 18, but most states have not followed suit.
"I accompanied then deputy prime minister Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail to present on this issue before the Council of Rulers.
"This is because Syariah laws are under the various state governments. Pursuant to that, Selangor changed their Syariah Law enactment to raise the marriage age from 16 to 18.
"But most other states kept it at 16," Fuziah (above) told Malaysiakini.
She said when girls reach the age of 18, their bodily functions were more developed and their uterus more ready to carry a child, thus decreasing the chance of mortality among mothers and their newborns.
"Furthermore, girls are encouraged to finish their schooling. The education that they receive will be useful for them in all roles in life," said Fuziah.
She said during her tenure as deputy minister in the Prime Minister's Department for religious affairs, she insisted the high court Syariah judge decide on applications for underage marriages.
Seri Delima assemblyperson Syerleena Abdul Rashid said she was proud Penang increased the minimum age of marriage to 18 much like fellow Harapan-led state, Selangor.
"The recent decision made by Idris doesn’t really come as a shock and is somewhat expected.
"PAS has quite frequently proven to be a political organisation that understands very little about human rights especially when it pertains to young girls and women in this country.
"It does not make any logical sense – one is allowed to marry at 16 but not qualified to vote.
"When you’re 16, you are still in school. Therefore, the main focus should be on education so these children can build better lives," she told Malaysiakini.
She said the federal government’s decision to maintain the marriage age at 16 is simply illogical and a regression of human rights.
"There are so many issues that arise from such a decision – we have seen how such early marriages rob our children of a future and will bring about other complications from health to domestic violence.
Syerleena said children must be made to understand the roles and responsibilities that come with marriage and more so when they start families themselves.
"It is a lifelong commitment which most 16-year-olds may not understand. As leaders within the government as well as respective communities, decisions made should consider the long-term implication it will have on society and the nation.
"It is just downright disappointing," she added.
Earlier, civil society organisation Sisters in Islam also took the government to task over the move, saying it was gambling with the future of children and young Malaysians by failing to take care of their welfare and allowing child marriages to continue. - Mkini
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