MP calls for minimum age for marriage

An Opposition Member of Parliament on Wednesday called on the the government to fix the minimum age for young couples to get married so as to stop child marriages.

Teo Nie Ching (DAP-Kulai) claimed that besides not attending school any more there was high incidence of divorce which had had a negative impact on the children.

She said although existing laws allowed Malaysians from 16 to 18 years to marry, there were situations which allowed them to enter wedlock at a younger age.

"We can no longer afford see our young getting married at 11 or 12 years of age. This is one issue that needs immediate attention," she said when debating the Supply Bill 2015 in the Dewan Rakyat on Wednesday.

Teo said the government had adopted the resolution by the United Nations to stop child marriages in October last year, but there were no clear measures for its implementation in this country.

"The time has come to ensure that children in this country, regardless of religion do not marry until the reach the age of maturity," she said.

She also questioned the logic of giving children the freedom to choose their spouse at a young age when they were not allowed to have a driving licence or to vote because they had not reached the permitted age.

At the same time, Teo also urged that the allocation to the Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development be increased as much of it was spent on social welfare and not just on women. The Dewan sits again Thursday.