sexual violence

In Kelantan, husband beats up wife for refusing sex while on period

Nur Farzana Md Yusof

Source: The Malay Mail Online

KUALA LUMPUR, July 28 ― A goldsmith pleaded not guilty in a magistrate court in Kota Baru yesterday after he was charged of hitting his wife for refusing sex, with the latter claiming she was on menstruating.

In a report by Sinar Harian, the accused, 49, allegedly committed the offence against his 44-year-old wife at 7am on July 22, in a house in Pengkalan Chepa.

Under Section 375A of the Penal Code that regulates rape, the accused can be jailed for up to five years if convicted.

The man had initially pleaded guilty after he was charged, but changed his plea after hearing the explanation on mandatory jail. Read more →

Female clerics declare fatwa on child marriage in Indonesia

Coordinator

Source: FMT News

'Female clerics know the issues and obstacles women face, we can take action and not just wait for the government to protect these children.' Pic from FMT News.

‘Female clerics know the issues and obstacles women face, we can take action and not just wait for the government to protect these children.’ Pic from FMT News.

KUALA LUMPUR: Female clerics on Thursday issued an unprecedented fatwa against child marriage in Indonesia in a bid to stop young girls becoming brides in the world’s most populous Muslim country.

The fatwa – which is influential among Muslims but not legally binding – came at the end of an extraordinary three-day conference of female Islamic clerics: a rare example of women assuming a lead role in religious affairs in this mostly-Muslim country.

“Maternal mortality is very high in Indonesia. We as female clerics can play a role on the issue of child marriage,” conference organiser Ninik Rahayu told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. Read more →

Malaysian man charged with rape escapes jail after marrying 14-year-old victim

Raevathi Supramaniam

Source: Thompson Reuters Foundation

children-rape-reuters

A girl wearing a hijab waits at the Shah Alam stadium during celebrations of Maulidur Rasul, or the birth of Prophet Muhammad, outside Kuala Lumpur, January 14, 2014. REUTERS/Samsul Said

JAKARTA, Aug 3 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – A Malaysian man charged with raping a 14-year-old girl has avoided prison after he married her in a case that has sparked anger from rights groups and calls for a ban on child marriage and justice for victims of sexual violence.

Ahmad Syukri Yusuf, 22, was charged with statutory rape of the girl late last year and faced up to 30 years in jail and whipping for the offence, but he later married the teenager under Islamic law, according to prosecutor Ahmad Fariz Abdul Hamid.

The prosecutor said a court in Kuching, in Malaysia’s eastern state of Sarawak ruled there was no need to proceed with the case after Ahmad Syukri submitted a marriage certificate and the girl withdrew the complaint.

Delivered last week, the court ruling prompted fury from women’s rights groups.

“It is very common for rapists to marry their survivors, especially when they are underage, to cover up their crime,” Kuala Lumpur-based Women’s Aid Organisation spokeswoman Tan Heang Lee told Thomson Reuters Foundation.

“There is usually a high risk in this kind of cases that these girls will be subject to a lifetime of sexual abuse. Her marriage is basically an extension to rape,” she added. Read more →