Many of the children who marry don't complete their schooling, and this negatively impacts their ability to sustain themselves financially for the rest of their lives. Photo: Unsplash
Approximately 1,500 children are married off each year (between 2007 to 2019) and 90% of them are girls, reveals data from the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DSOM). Many of these children who marry don't complete their schooling, and this negatively impacts their ability to sustain themselves financially for the rest of their lives, says Pelajar Bukan Pengantin (Students Not Brides) member Zharin Zhafrael.
According to a World Health Organisation Report in 2016, complications during pregnancy and childbirth are a leading cause of death for girls aged between 15 and 19 years globally, she adds.
onlinePelajar Bukan Pengantin member Zharin Zhafrael. - FilepicIt is with this in mind that from August onwards, a billboard campaign in the Klang Valley will take place to highlight these concerns and help bring about changes that will end child marriage in Malaysia.
Spearheaded by the Association of Women Lawyers Selangor & Federal Territories (AWL), and supported by Pelajar Bukan Pengantin – a coalition of NGOs and activists established in 2018 to advocate for the eradication of child marriage in Malaysia – the campaign aims to raise public awareness on the issue of child marriage and why it should be banned.
The locations of the digital screen billboards are at Jalan Tun Razak, PKNS, Sunway Mentari, Jalan Syed Putra, SS2, Sri Hartamas, Bukit Bintang, Semarak, Segambut and Sungai Besi.
According to Zharin, Malaysia has made a commitment to the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (Cedaw) and also has obligations to end child marriage as a harmful practice, under the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 5, which pertains to gender equality, by 2030.
"We believe this campaign is timely as Malaysia shares its progress on meeting the SDG targets on leaving no one behind by 2030 at the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development at the United Nations in New York in Sept 2023," says Zharin.
AWL President Daniella Zulkifli expresses gratitude towards Seni Jaya Sdn Bhd who has provided the platform pro-bono to highlight the issue of child marriage in Malaysia.
“We are honoured to be partnering with Seni Jaya Sdn Bhd, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Seni Jaya Corporation Berhad, for this campaign and grateful that they have so generously provided such a huge pro-bono platform for us to highlight the issue of child marriage in Malaysia. This is a tremendous opportunity to raise awareness and visibility as well as bring the issue to the forefront of discourse, policy and laws,” says Daniella.
This is a tremendous opportunity to raise awareness and visibility and bring the issue to the forefront of discourse, policy and laws, says Daniella.“Child marriage affects children from all communities. We have a unique situation in Malaysia because we need the consent of each State Government to amend the relevant Syariah law. We also need to consider issues of customary laws and practices in Sabah, Sarawak and among other indigenous people.
"The Law Reform (Marriage and Divorce) Act 1976, which applies to non-Muslims provides that the minimum age for marriage is 18 years old. However, consent for marriage must be obtained from a parent or a guardian if either party is under the age of 21. In special circumstances, a girl may be given consent to marry by the Chief Minister once she has reached the age of 16.
But instead of allowing children to be married off, we should be encouraging them to stay in school and pursue their ambitions, so that when they are old enough, they can make wise choices about their relationships and raise healthy families of their own. Ending child marriage starts with changing the law," she says.
Seni Jaya chief executive officer Jeff Cheah. - FilepicSeni Jaya chief executive officer Jeff Cheah says: “Children are our greatest resource and we have a duty to highlight the social changes we need to make to keep them safe and help them develop to their full potential. The message of this campaign is very positive, #PelajarBukanPengantin or #StudentsNotBrides is a call to us all to encourage children to stay in school and pursue their education to the highest level possible before they take on adult responsibilities like marriage and raising children of their own.”
The campaign artwork is original and created by young local artists under the age of 22 earlier this year in response to a competition organised by Pelajar Bukan Pengantin.
“We wanted to have a platform to showcase their artwork to the public,” adds Zharin.
If you or anyone you know is directly or indirectly involved in encouraging, supporting, funding or assisting in the marriage of any child, please reach out to: Telenisa (for Syariah related issues): 03-7960 8802; or Women’s Aid Organisation: 03-7956 3488.
For more info, follow the #Pelajar BukanPengantin conversation on social media, @associationofwomenlawyers - Facebook and Instagram and @students_not_brides - Instagram
