
Can a 15-Year-Old Girl Be Legally Married? Infographic taken from The Atlantic, source: Clinton Foundation
KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 12 — A recent United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund (Unicef) Malaysia poll on child marriage found 95 per cent of respondents saying it is wrong for a man to marry a 14-year-old girl.
Unicef Malaysia representative Marianne Clark-Hattingh said the results of the survey were heartening as child marriages rob children of their childhood and is a violation of their rights.
“Child brides risk complications during childbirth and are prone to domestic violence and abuse,” she said in a statement today.
“For every year a girl is married before adulthood, her literacy reduces by 5.6 per cent. Their daughters too are more likely to drop out of school and marry young.
“Allowing children to grow into healthy, educated adults is not only right in principle but also in practice, for the child, the future of their family, and the sustainable and inclusive advancement of the nation,” she added.
The same survey also found that 86 per cent of respondents agreed that the minimum legal age for marriage in Malaysia should be 18 years and above, with almost 50 per cent of the female respondents saying it should be 21 years and above. Read more