AUTHORITIES in Kelantan are scrambling to ascertain if there is any truth to social media reports of a marriage between a 40-year-old man and an 11-year-old girl.

The state’s Welfare Department and police are looking for the girl, who is said to be living in Gua Musang.

Social activist Syed Azmi Alhabshi, who brought the case to light through his Facebook page, said that Deputy Prime Minister Wan Azizah Wan Ismail was aware of the matter. 

“The Welfare Department is on the way to see the girl, who is in Gua Musang.

“The deputy prime minister’s office contacted me and I have passed all the relevant information to them,” he told The Malaysian Insight. 

News of the supposed marriage had also sparked international condemnation, with Unicef saying it was shocking and unacceptable if the marriage did take place. 

“It is violation of her rights. Law reform to set the legal age for marriage at 18 without exception should be one of the priorities of the new government,” said Unicef representative in Malaysia, Marianne Clark-Hattingh. 

It is believed the man had taken the 11-year-old as his third wife.  

The case first surfaced after one of the man’s wives posted a congratulatory message to her husband, which then made the rounds on social media. 

Syed Azmi, who managed to contact the man’s second wife, said he had advised her to lodge a report with the authorities. 

“Apart from the issue that the bride is 11 years old, my other concern is the well-being of both families. Because when I reached out to one of the wives, she was crying for help.

“At first, the husband denied it but when he was presented with photos, he fled to his mother’s house and now he’s blocking all communication with the wives.”

The solemnisation is believed to have taken place in Thailand earlier this month. It is also believed that the 11-year-old girl is not a Malaysian citizen.

Joint Action Group for Gender Equality (JAG) said the marriage also demonstrated serious loopholes in the legal system.

“Immediate action must be taken by the government to condemn this action and pledge legislative action to put an end to child marriages in Malaysia once and for all.

“This must be done by raising the marriageable age for all Malaysians, Muslims and non-Muslims, whether male or female, to 18 years old, with no exceptions,” the group said.

It added that child marriages had significant consequences on a child’s physical and mental health, and exposes them to violence and abuse.

“In the modern Malaysian context, this marriage does not detract from the fact that sexual relations with a child below 16 years is statutory rape.

“More importantly, child marriages place obstacles on a girl’s formal education, with the expectation that she will take care of the household and start a family,” it said.

The group also cited other Muslim-majority countries that had raised the minimum age of marriage, including Algeria (19 for men and women), Bangladesh (18 for women and 21 for men), Morocco (18 for men and women) and Turkey (which raised the minimum age of marriage from 15 to 18 for women). – June 30, 2018.