Child marriages have been condemned after two such cases surfaced recently in Kelantan.

sisters in islam anti book banning book burning campaign 190808 marina mahathir "The men could be prosecuted under the Penal Code for statutory rape if their marriage is illegal under the Islamic Family Law," said Marina Mahathir ( left ), on behalf of Sisters in Islam Board of Directors.

Echoing her, Lembah Pantai MP Nurul Izzah urged for a review of the Islamic Family Law in accordance with International Child Rights Convention which Malaysia ratified in 1995.

Both said this in statements issued today, in response to newspaper reports on two cases of girls under the age of 12, given away in marriage by their parents.

An 11-year-old girl was married to a 41-year-old man, while the other, a ten-year-old, was married to a man aged 30 in Kuala Krai and Pasir Mas, respectively.

An offence

According to religious authorities, it is an offence to allow a girl under 16 to be married without the Syariah Court's prior approval.

Quoting a verse from the Quran, Marina said that a person is of "marriageable age" if he or she has "sound judgment" or "maturity of mind", and that puberty alone is not a sufficient benchmark.

anwar ibrahim sodomy allegation saiful bukhari azlan first day in court 070808 nurul izzah "There is also new research based on the Hadith and historical events in the life of the Prophet Muhammad that question the commonly held belief that (He) was betrothed to Aishah at the age of six and consummated the marriage at the age of nine," she added.

Both Nurul Izzah ( right ) and Marina urged that the law be amended and the minimum age for marriage be raised to 18 in compliance with the Child Act.

"It is in the best interest of a child not to become a wife or a mother, but to be educated and to enjoy their childhood in these critical developmental years," said Nurul Izzah.

K'tan religious officials probe child marriages