Ending child marriage

Child marriage is a global phenomenon affecting the lives of millions of children each year. Malaysia is no exception. It was reported that between 2007 and 2017, approximately 15,000 cases were recorded in Malaysia, with child marriage occurring in all communities across the country.

A variety of interlinking factors drive child marriage in Malaysia: lack of a standardized minimum age of marriage, and laws that allow and facilitate child marriage; lack of access to sexual and reproductive health (SRH) information and services; low household income and poverty; lack of access to education and poor school attendance; social and cultural norms that allow and perpetuate traditional practices of child marriage; lack of parental awareness and understanding of SRH (leading to parents’ inability to communicate with children effectively on these issues to better guide and protect them); and finally, the lack of legal status and rights of undocumented, stateless, refugee and asylum-seeking communities. Gender inequality cuts across all of these issues.