Are Child Marriages In Malaysia Really Rare — As Claimed By Rosmah Mansor?
— FACT OR FAKE?
By Sadho Ram — 04 Oct 2015, 07:18 PM
On 30 September, Prime Minister Najib Razak's wife Rosmah Mansor shared Malaysia's experience in overcoming the problem of child marriage. Speaking at Ford Foundation breakfast meeting, Rosmah claimed that child marriages were rare in Malaysia, thanks to the existence of a good education system and low poverty rate.
"Enrolment of boys and girls in primary education was 99 per cent...about 70 per cent of girls are now enrolled in universities," she told the Breakfast Panel on Girls not Bride at Ford Foundation here.
Low poverty rate at 0.6 per cent and eradication of poverty among women especially single mothers had also contributed to the country's success in overcoming the problem, said Rosmah. The Malaysian legal framework, Rosmah said, circumvented and offer further effective measures to protect the children from being forced into child marriage.
She said the Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development set up a Task Force on Protection of Children last year, seeking among others, to raise the marriageable age for girls from 16 to 18 in the Syariah Law, consistent with the Child Act.
The task force also looked into providing reproductive healthcare education to teenagers aged 13 onwards, establish schools for young unmarried girls, widen parenting skills and to instill moral values among the youth through social media.
However, Rosmah's claims have been refuted by the Joint Action Group for Gender Equality (JAG). In a statement, the coalition of women's rights group expressed its concern over Rosmah's claim.
“Unfortunately, child marriages in Malaysia occur more often than depicted,” JAG said. “Child marriages are definitely not rare in Malaysia, as mentioned by Rosmah.”
Citing the then Women, Family and Community Development Deputy Minister Heng Seai Kie in 2010, JAG pointed out that approximately 16,000 girls aged below 15 were married in 2010.
“Four years later, in 2014, Malaysia yet again caused international concern, with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) 2014 Report recording that more than 15,000 Malaysian children were married off before the age of 19. These statistics, while already worryingly high, are only cases of child marriages that were reported,” it said.
malaysiakini.com
Moreover, according to statistics collected from the Malaysian Syariah Court, UN Country Gender Theme Groups Census reports, Health Ministry reports, UN Progress reports on HIV and UN Populations Fund findings, put together by Sisters In Islam (SIS), shows very alarming facts about child marriage in Malaysia
It shows that in 2009, 32 Muslim girls aged below 10 underwent pre-marital HIV screening which is a prerequisite to tie the knot.
10 to 14-year-old girls constituted 445, but the highest number was 6,815 girls between the ages of 15 to 19, and 1,911 boys from the same age group.
These numbers weren't mentioned in Rosmah's speech.
Moreover, even if there is just one case of child marriage, it does not mean that child marriages are now rare in Malaysia, for even one incident alone is one too many!
In light of these statistics, it appears that the claims made by Rosmah about child marriage being rare in Malaysia are false!
Fact Or Fake is a weekly column at SAYS where popular myths, hoaxes, urban legends, and fake news circulating online are debunked. If you come across a news piece that sounds dubious to you, send us a tip at [email protected]. Meanwhile, previously: