From 1 August 2023, billboards in the Klang Valley will highlight concerns about child marriage as part of a campaign to draw attention to the issue and bring about changes that result in an end to child marriage in Malaysia.
Headlined by the Association of Women Lawyers Selangor & Federal Territories (AWL), and supported by the Pelajar Bukan Pengantin coalition the campaign is intended to raise public awareness about the issue of child marriage and why it should be banned.
Pelajar Bukan Pengantin, a loose coalition of NGO and activists, which includes AWL, was established in 2018, to campaign for the eradication of child marriage in Malaysia.
According to a Pelajar Bukan Pengantin member, Zharin Zhafrael, “Malaysia has made a commitment to the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW). Malaysia 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 and 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”.
According to data from the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) about 1,500 children have been married each year from between 2007 until 2019. About 90% of these are girls. Many children who marry, do not complete their schooling, and this impacts negatively on their ability to sustain themselves financially for the rest of their lives. 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.
Daniella Zulkifli, AWL President explains, “We are very honoured to be partnering with Seni Jaya Sdn Bhd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Seni Jaya Corporation Berhad, on this issue and very 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 and bring the issue to the forefront of discourse, policy and laws.”
She adds, “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. We should be encouraging children 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, not getting them married off. Ending child marriage starts with changing the law.”
The CEO of Seni Jaya Sdn Bhd, Jeff Cheah See Heong said, “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 levels possible before they take on adult responsibilities like marriage and raising children of their own.”
All the artwork used in the campaign is original and created by young local artists under the age of 22 earlier this year, in response to a competition organised by Students Not Brides, a member of the Pelajar Bukan Pengantin coalition, Zharin Zhafrael added, “We wanted to have a platform to showcase this artwork to the public. We are very grateful to Seni Jaya Sdn Bhd for supporting us in this effort on a pro-bono basis.”
Members of the public can also learn more about the campaign by following the #Pelajar BukanPengantin conversation on social media, or by following AWL and Students Not Brides on:
Association of Women Lawyers: Instagram | @associationofwomenlawyers
Students Not Brides: Instagram | @students_not_brides
If you or anyone you know is involved directly or indirectly in encouraging, supporting, funding or assisting in the marriage of any child, please reach out to:
Telenisa (for Syariah related issues): 03-7960 8802
Women’s Aid Organisation: 03-7956 3488
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