The 41-year-old Malaysian man who is alleged to have married an 11-year-old girl is now being investigated for sexual grooming, an offence under the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017, said Deputy Prime Minister Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail.

Wan Azizah, who is also women, family and community development minister, said the government viewed the couple as not being married for as long as no evidence is presented.

Speaking to reporters at a gathering with the ministry’s target groups, she said the man was responsible for proving the validity of the marriage to the authorities.

“The interaction between the man and the child is subject to several laws concerning 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,” she said.

Wan Azizah said the government wants to protect the child concerned and will provide medical aid and professional counselling to help her handle the situation even though she is a Thai national as all children living in Kelantan must be protected.

She said the officers handling the case had met the child and the man’s second wife who filed the complaint. However, they have not met the man.

“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,” Wan Azizah said.

“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."

News of a 41-year-old Malaysian man’s third marriage to an 11-year-old Thai girl went viral on the social media on Saturday, leading to the Welfare Services Department investigating the matter.

Wan Azizah said she held a meeting with the Attorney-General’s Chambers, the Kelantan Islamic Religious Affairs Department (JAHEIK), the Syariah Judiciary Department, the Malaysian Bar, social activist Syed Azmi Alhabshi and officers of child agencies in Putrajaya and Kelantan.

"The meeting was informed that the couple was living in Kelantan. However, JAHEIK was reported to have no record of the marriage’s registration. According to reports and a statement from the man’s second wife, it is believed that the marriage took place in Golok, Thailand," she said.

Wan Azizah said to date, the authorities still did not have any proof that the marriage was conducted in Golok as claimed. Under the Islamic Family Enactment enforced in all states, the minimum age (for marriage) for men is 18 years while for women, it is 16 years. Under-aged marriages are only allowed with the consent of the court, chief minister or menteri besar.

"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 said.

Wan Azizah urged all parties including the media and netizens to allow the authorities concerned space to deal with the situation and not spread the photographs and information, especially about the girl so as not to jeopardise the investigations.

Meanwhile, in Kota Bharu, Kelantan mufti  Mohamad Shukri Mohamad said the issue must be referred to the Syariah Court to investigate.

He said it was not easy to say whether the marriage was valid or not and the matter should be investigated by the Syariah Court.

In Kuala Lumpur, president of the Asean Traders Association Moehamad Izat Emir said poverty should not be an excuse or quick solution for the family to marry off their under-aged daughter.

He said the marriage contravened the basic rights of the child and gave a negative perception to the public.

“We urge that the marriageable age for women be immediately increased from 16 to 18 years,” he said.

In Gua Musang, chairperson of the Kelantan Welfare, Family and Women Development Committee Mumtaz Md Nawi said the authorities concerned – the Welfare Services Department, the Kelantan Islamic Affairs Department, the Kelantan Council of the Religion of Islam and Malay Custom, and the Police – were still investigating the case.

- Bernama