Wan Azizah: Terengganu, Kelantan, And 5 Other States Refuse To Ban Child Marriage
Meanwhile, seven states have agreed to standardise the minimum age for marriage to 18.
By Arisha Rozaidee — 20 Nov 2019, 04:03 PM
Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail revealed that several states have refused to amend the law on minimum age for marriages
Malaysiakini reported that the Deputy Prime Minister addressed the issue to the Dewan Rakyat during Minister's Question Time on 19 November.
She mentioned that the federal government is facing difficulties banning child marriages nationwide because seven states are not cooperating.
"Mending the enactment or legal ordinance on minimum age for marriages can only happen if all the states agree with the proposed amendments."
The states are namely Sarawak, Pahang, Terengganu, Perlis, Negeri Sembilan, Kedah, and Kelantan
Meanwhile, Selangor has amended the enactment while the Federal Territories are in the process of amending it.
"Five other states that have agreed to amend [the law] are Penang, Sabah, Johor, Melaka and Perak," she said, as reported by Malay Mail.
Women's rights group Sisters in Islam (SIS) has come forward and demanded the federal government to take matters into their own hands for the sake of the children
A statement on their Facebook page read, "The Pakatan Harapan government needs to explain what is being done to compel the seven states that refuse to cooperate."
They also added that seven states who refuse to cooperate in banning child marriage need to explain to all Malaysians their reasons for their decision.
The group emphasised, "Sisters in Islam strongly reiterate our call that the minimum age of marriage must be raised to 18 years old for both boys and girls, Muslim and non-Muslims, with no exceptions."
