Over the weekend, news about a 41-year-old man marrying an 11-year-old child surfaced online and shocked the entire nation.
Since then, this incident has been the talk of the town with many Malaysians speaking out against this marriage. Although the child expressed her “consent” to the marriage, many debated that this was still against the law.
Source: Facebook
Now, in more recent news, it was revealed that the 41-year-old groom is under investigation for sexual grooming, reported FMT.
FYI, sexual grooming is a crime under the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017.
According to Deputy Prime Minister Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, the government still sees the marriage as invalid as there’s no evidence of its occurrence.
Dr Wan Azizah was quoted as saying,
“The interaction between the man and the child is subject to several laws concerning [the] protection of children. At the moment, the investigations into the case are ongoing.”
“My officers are working with various enforcement agencies and the ministries concerned to look at the case closely.”
Source: FMT
To protect the child, Dr Wan Azizah explained that the government would provide medical aid and professional counselling so she can handle her situation better. She assured that the girl will be protected despite being a Thai national because every child residing in Kelantan must be protected.
She also shared that her officers met the man’s second wife (who filed the complaint) and the child, but they haven’t met the man yet.
Dr Wan Azizah then continued saying,
“The child’s mother is a worker in a restaurant owned by the man’s first wife and he had promised to ‘look after’ the family financially. The child has only gone to nursery school. According to the parents, the man will only consummate the marriage five years from now, but the child must go through some tests.”
“The government is very committed to tackling the issue of child marriages in the future. I have instructed my officers to look into increasing the minimum age (for marriage) to 18 years for men and women.”
Source: The Star
She also held a meeting with the Attorney-General’s Chambers, the Kelantan Islamic Religious Affairs Department (JAHEIK), the Syariah Judiciary Department, the Malaysian Bar Council, social activist Syed Azmi Alhabshi and officers of child agencies in Putrajaya and Kelantan to solve the matter as quickly as possible.
After the meeting, Dr Wan Azizah revealed that the couple was still in Kelantan but there is no report of the marriage’s registration as according to JAHEIK.
“According to reports and a statement from the man’s second wife, it is believed that the marriage took place in Golok, Thailand,” said Dr Wan Azizah.
Source: World of Buzz
Nonetheless, there was still no record of the marriage being conducted in Golok.
“So far, there has been no application for consent made by the couple or the child’s parents, so no approval has been given to allow the marriage,” she explained.
Source: NST
If you didn’t know, under the Islamic Family Enactment, the minimum age for marriage is 18 years for men and 16 years for women. Underage marriages can only take place after the court, chief minister or the Menteri Besar have consented. This is applied all over the country.
Now, Dr Wan Azizah requested the media and netizens to give the authorities space to conduct their investigations. Not only that, she also asked everyone not to spread photographs and information about the girl as it could jeopardise ongoing investigations. Give them their space, guys!
This is a serious issue that needs to be attended to immediately, we hope the authorities will come up with a solution to this matter ASAP!
What do you think the authorities could do to prevent this from happening in the future? Let us know in the comments below!
Also read: 7 Updates You Need to Know About The 11-Year-Old Bride Case
