Stop discussing 'child-free' trend, says Selangor exco

 

Discussions about the “child-free” issue should stop and not be regarded as a trend, said Selangor Women Development and Social Welfare Committee chairperson Anfaal Saari.

It has been revealed that some Malaysian couples opt to live child-free due to the perception that children are a burden.

Anfaal (above) said the state government needs to take responsibility for fostering family values, adding that protecting lineage is strongly emphasised in the Maqasid al-Syariah (objectives of syariah).

She spoke to reporters after launching the Selangor State Population Seminar (SKNS) 2024 yesterday, which the National Population and Family Development Board deputy chairperson Juwairiya Zulkifli also attended.

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs) Mohd Na’im Mokhtar was reported as saying that the “child-free” trend contradicts the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad, adding that the Federal Territories Mufti Office has issued a fatwa stating that choosing the lifestyle to avoid responsibilities is considered makruh (discouraged) according to Islamic law.

Anfaal said married couples must have more than two children to avoid population decline expected to occur by 2072 due to the decreasing fertility rate since 2010, adding that Malaysia’s birth rate averaged 1.6 children per couple in 2022 compared to 2.1 in 2010.

Selangor is one of the four states with the lowest birth rate at 1.4, according to the 2023 Key Statistics Report by the Department of Statistics Malaysia, she said.

“Selangor also recorded a 7.2 percent drop in the number of live births in 2022 compared to the previous year. Both demographic indicators suggest that the fertility rate in Selangor is worrying,” she added.

SKNS 2024 was held to discuss measures and policies that need to be implemented to slow down the decline in fertility rates and prepare Selangor for this change in the demographic.

- Bernama