Child marriage not encouraged in Malaysia - Rohani

Child marriage is not encouraged in Malaysia as it is deemed a violation of children's right, besides having a harmful effect on the child brides' health, said Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Rohani Abdul Karim.

"When getting pregnant at a very young age, these child brides may face several health risks, including cancer, because they are too young to bear the burden of pregnancy and their babies may not grow well," she said at the launch of National Senior Citizens and Children's Day celebration here Saturday.

The event was graced by Permaisuri of Johor Raja Zarith Sofiah Sultan Idris Shah. Also present were the wife of Tunku Mahkota Johor, Che' Puan Khaleeda Bustamam.

Rohani said as an individual, a child bride could hardly make proper consideration or think wisely in dealing with marital issues as they were too young.

For the record, she said 841 cases of underage marriage were recorded last year, 127 of which involving Muslim couples, while the rest were cases involving non-Muslim couples and registered under the National Registration Department.

Meanwhile, in conjunction with the National Senior Citizens and Children's Day celebration, Munzir Shaharuddin, 15, from Sungai Petani, Kedah, was awarded with the Hang Tuah Medal for his brave action in saving his brother's life when fire broke out at the hostel of Sekolah Agama Raudhatut Tahfiz, Gunung Jerai, Kedah, on July 29.

Khoo Qi Xuan, 16, from Pahang and Foo Eu Fang, 16, from Melaka, received the National Tunas Jaya Award 2015 for men and women's category respectively, while Mustaqim Mustapa, 10, from Kuala Lumpur and Nurul Asnida Ridzuan, 13, from Perak, received the same award for Person With Disability category.