Child rights groups up in arms over marriage of 11-year-old girl

PETALING JAYA: Child rights groups have condemned the marriage of an 11-year-old girl to a 41-year-old man, calling it totally unacceptable.
The Child Rights CSO Group (CSCG) urged Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail to meet with child rights NGOs to address critical child protection.
It said the marriage is against the basic principles of the CRC to which Malaysia is a signatory.
"As a state party, Malaysia has to take all effective and appropriate measures to abolish traditional practices prejudicial to the health of children," CSCG said in a statement today.
"We ask the PH Government (in particular KPWKM , PDRM, MOH, Home Ministry, AGs Chambers and MOE ) to urgently do a complete review of the child development and protection support systems which has more often than not failed our children.
"We urge the government to work with and listen to NGOs as we exist to complement and support government to address serious gaps in the implementation of policies and laws for the protection of our children, both citizens and non-citizens."
The case of a 41-year-old man marrying an 11-year-old girl went viral on the social media on Friday after it was shared by the man's second wife.
The man is said to have married the child in Thailand on the 4th of Syawal and the 34-year-old wife only found out about it after a friend showed her the man's marriage photograph.
Wan Azizah said she had received a report on the case and asked the Welfare Services Department to meet with the girl's mother to get more information.
"A thorough investigation must also be conducted because it involves the state Syariah Enactment. We also have to look into why it happened. Was it caused by poverty, education, family issues or other problems," she said yesterday.

The statement of CSCG was endorsed by:
1. Childline Malaysia
2. Women's Aid Organisation (WAO)
3. Association of Women Lawyers (AWL)
4. Yayasan Chow Kit
5. ARAM Foundation
6. Malaysian Advocates for Child Health (MACH)
7. PUAKPayung
8. Educational, Welfare & Research Foundation (EWRF)
9. Geutanyoe Foundation
10 Projek Layang Layang
11 Fed of Reproductive Health Associations Malaysia (FRHAM)
12 Malaysian Child Welfare Council (MKKM)
13. Reproductive Health Association Kelantan ( ReHAK)
14. Challenges Foundation
15. National Early Intervention Council (NECIC)
16. Refuge for the Refugees
17. SAWO Sabah
18. NGOHub
19. Liga Pemuda
20. Buku Jalanan Chow Kit
21. Persatuan Sekolah Belantara Malaysisa
22. Majlis Kebangsaan Pertubuhan Wanita (NCWO)
23. Malaysian Association of Social Workers (MASW)
24. Malaysian Rare Disease Disorders Society (MRDS)
25. Association of Toy Libraries Malaysia (ATLM)
27. Malaysian Child Resource Institute (MCRI)
28. Voice of the Children (VOC)
29. Women's Centre for Change (WCC)
30 PACOS Trust
31. Pasukan Pelindung WP
32. Persatuan Pengasuh Berdaftar Msia (PPBM)
33. Persatuan Pelindung Daerah Petaling