Kelantan Government Concludes That Child Marriage Is A "Necessity" In The State
The conclusion was reached by the state government, Kelantan Islamic Affairs Department, and Kelantan Pertubuhan Lepasan Undang-Undang dan Hak Asasi Manusia (Luham).
By Jia Vern Tham — 29 Nov 2018, 04:16 PM
A roundtable consisting of the Kelantan state government, Kelantan Islamic Affairs Department, and Kelantan Pertubuhan Lepasan Undang-Undang dan Hak Asasi Manusia (Luham) concluded yesterday, 28 November, that child marriage is consistent with the Syariah Law and therefore a "necessity" in the state
Utusan Online reported that the roundtable, which happened in Kota Bharu, was about evaluating child marriage.
Child marriage was said to be in line with Section 8 of the Islamic Family Law (Kelantan) Enactment 2002, as written permission from the court is needed.
The roundtable also decided that there is no "need" to raise the minimum age of marriage in Kelantan from 16 to 18
This conclusion was made among seven other resolutions passed during the roundtable, though Utusan Online did not report what the others were.
"There are strict mechanisms governing child marriage in the law and standard operating procedures," said the resolution.
Two United Nations (UN) conventions were rejected by the roundtable as well
The Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) were rejected at the meeting.
"These two conventions are not suitable for implementation, particularly for Muslims in Kelantan," the resolution said.