RECNTLY, news broke of how an adult male in his 50’s had made several indecent proposals to underage girls. The man in this particular case was a teacher and what made his transgressions all the more repulsive was the fact that he had shamelessly abused his position and authority.

To date, the man in this case has resigned and several political organisations have sought to highlight his gross misconduct to members of the public.

But as outraged as people appear to be with this man and his action of preying on young girls, is anybody willing to push the envelope to reform archaic laws pertaining to child marriages?

The link between paedophilia and child marriages in this country is undoubtedly murky as civil laws contradict syariah laws and as religious matters are often politicised, solutions are far beyond grasp.

While Malaysian civil law sets the minimum age of marriage at 18, the law is riddled with exceptions. Girls 16 and older can marry with permission of their state’s chief minister. For Muslims, the syariah law sets a 16-year minimum age for girls and permits even earlier marriages, with no apparent minimum age, with the permission of a syariah court.

While the mere mention of paedophilia will incur the wrath of a nation, the justifications that seemingly ‘permit’ child marriages is still acceptable, to the more conservative faction in our society, anyway.

In 2016, the Malaysian government admitted that more than 9,000 children married in the previous five years were below 18 years old. While the government has assured us that these numbers are declining, there is very little evidence to support such claims.  Malaysia is one of the several countries in the Asian region that does not provide statistical annual data on child marriages to UNICEF.

While resolutions on child marriage in the United Nations Human Rights Council has helped pave the way for positive reforms, the inclusion of child marriage in the 2016-2030 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals: Sustainable Development Goal Five, on gender equality, includes nine targets, one of which is, “Eliminate all harmful practices, such as child, early and forced marriage, and female genital mutilation” will indeed create the momentum needed to put such this in effect.

Numerous countries around the world have developed national action plans and have taken on proactive measures to end child marriages. However, the federal government of Malaysia, on the other hand, has continuously chosen to disregard the importance of such reforms by disallowing healthy debates made at federal lawmaking levels, and this goes against the tide of progress.

Governmental social services are sorely lacking and there is a dire need for improvements to be made. Social workers, legal workers and psychologists need to be brought into the system and most of all, need to understand the changing global tides of progress pertaining to child marriages.

It isn’t simply a ‘suka sama suka’ situation but a matter of basic human rights. It exposes a young girl to profound health risks from early pregnancy which can lead to complications during childbirth. Furthermore, it exposes the baby to premature birth. Child marriage is an appalling violation of human rights and robs children of their education, health and future.

Toxic traditional beliefs are also another hurdle that needs to be addressed. While there are some parents who believe early marriages can protect their daughters from sexual violence or sexual promiscuity, according to UN studies, the reverse is often true.

Our laws have to change with tides of time. Child marriages were at some point permissible and is still a complex issue that is deeply rooted in gender inequality, poverty and tradition. We must muster the political will to denounce child marriages because not only is it dangerous, it is a human rights abuse that contributes to economic hardship and can thwart the progress of our nation.

To address the dangers of paedophilia, we must also address our nation’s stance in child marriage. Both aren’t mutually exclusive; both are vile, repulsive and unnatural.

Child marriages are devastating and it’s past time to end child marriage right here in our own backyard. – November 4, 2017.

* Syerleena is a councillor at the Penang Island City Council (MBPP). She is a Malaysian who believes that our life experiences shape us into fascinating beings.

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.