Child marriage: Putrajaya has duty to advocate and educate - Nancy

 

Women and Family Development Minister Nancy Shukri said Putrajaya will continue to engage states on child marriage.

Speaking to reporters today, Nancy said Putrajaya cannot impose any ruling on child marriage because it falls under the state's jurisdiction.

"We write and (make) requests. So far, Selangor and Penang have responded.

"Some states have some difficulty because they have native law," she said.

Nancy said Putrajaya will continue with advocacy work and educate youth about teenage marriage.

Women and Family Development Minister Nancy Shukri

"We cannot sit idly. We hope that (to educate people) that he or she should not be married at a very young age," she said.

Pakatan Harapan had pledged as part of its GE15 promises to resume implementation of the National Strategic Plan in Handling Causes of Child Marriage 2025, which was supposed to be implemented in 2020.

So far, the present government - which involves several coalitions - has not explicitly committed to this.

Apart from Nancy, Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek has also been speaking out against child marriages.

In a televised broadcast in conjunction with International Women's Day 2023 earlier today, Fadhlina said child marriage can deprive underage girls of their potential and hinder their access to education.

She said her ministry was working on a law that would make it mandatory for children to attend secondary school, as the present law only made primary education mandatory. - Mkini