THE reported child marriage between a 41-year-old Malaysian man and a 11-year-old Thai girl in Kelantan once again reminds us of the prevalence of such contentious marital unions in Malaysia.

It also tells us that it is an issue that needs to be addressed urgently and one that concerns not only the families concerned, but also civil society, particularly women’s groups, human rights organisations and government agencies.

The commendable move made by Minister of Women’s Affairs and Welfare Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail to instruct her officers to conduct a thorough investigation into this issue shows its urgency and gravity.

To be sure, it is an issue that’s disturbing given that there were 9,000 child marriages between 2010 and 2015, involving 6,268 Muslims and 2,775 non-Muslims in the country. It affects children of almost all communities in the country.

A child marriage, which, according to international standards, is a union before the age of 18, affects adversely a child’s human rights because it denies girls (and boys) the joy of their childhood and interrupts their essential education.

Equally serious, these children are denied opportunities to harness their full potential in the long term to develop as dynamic and productive citizens. They also face an increased risk of domestic and sexual violence as well as physical and mental health problems.

Child marriages occur, it is often argued, to help an affected girl spare the burden of premarital sex and pregnancy and ensuing social stigma. Another reason offered is that child marriage is a ticket that enables a girl to jettison herself out of her family poverty.

In either case, the married girl is often subjected to abuse, violence and worse, eventual divorce with her having to carry the baby literally. In short, it can be a traumatic experience for the girl to go through this ordeal.

It is with this, and other considerations, in mind that the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) and civil society groups in the country have recently called on the government to put a stop to child marriage in Malaysia.

In fact, they urged the Pakatan Harapan government to commit itself to its recent electoral pledge (commitment 4) to introduce a law that puts 18 as the minimum marital age.

To put this issue in a wider perspective, child marriage is also a social problem that confronts Third World countries, such as Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, Egypt, Ethiopia, Guatemala, India, Kenya, Nigeria and Vietnam. Efforts have been mounted in these countries to prevent child marriages and also offer support to married girls.

The compassion and concern of right-thinking adults demand that the rights and future of our children in Malaysia should be prioritised over other things, least of all male lust.

Child marriage also engenders a cycle of gender inequality, which should be of deep concern to those who seek a more just and fair society in a “new Malaysia”.

In line with the overall objective to put a stop to child marriage in this country, the authorities and civil society groups must provide social support, long-term education and community awareness pertaining the dangers of child marriage.

The move forward for Malaysia is to ban child marriage. Full stop.

To delay, let alone ditch, this process is to give a wrong signal, especially to sexual predators who would inflict untold misery onto the unfortunate children while whetting their carnal desire. – July 2, 2018.