Malaysian
Paediatric Association President Dr N. Thiyagar said, as far as paediatricians
are concerned, girls below the age of 18 are regarded as children.
He said
there are a lot of health issues involved physically, psychologically and
mentally, for girls who get married young, and subsequently become pregnant.
Dr
Thiyagar, who is also the Malaysian Association for Adolescent Health
vice-president, said when a young teenager, or a child gets pregnant, there is
a higher risk of complication in pregnancy.
He said
young mothers are often not physically, and mentally capable of bearing
children.
According
to Dr Thiyagar, World Health Organisation statistics show that girls who give
birth before the age of 15 are five times more likely to die in childbirth than
girls who are in their 20s.
“Besides
this, the babies of young mothers also might have major complications, such as
pre-mature delivery.
“Another
concern is the social impact of the young mothers who are forced to stop
schooling,” he said when contacted recently.
He was
asked to comment on PAS MP Nik Mazian Nik Mohamad’s suggestion in Parliament
recently that child marriages should be allowed as children below the age of 16
already have sexual urges.
Nik
Mazian had said if they are prevented from marrying (young), youngster will
engage in pre-marital sex.
Dr
Thiyagar, who specialises in adolescent medicine, said a total of 13,800
pregnancies involving children and teenagers aged between 10 and 19 were
reported in Malaysia last year alone.
He said
the figures provided by the Health Ministry were revealed during the 12th
National Symposium for Adolescent Health held in Johor, earlier this month.
He said,
according to the data, a total of 9,800 of the girls were married, while the
rest were unmarried girls who became pregnant.
The data
also showed that 72% of the pregnant mothers opted out of school.
Dr
Thiyagar said under civil law, having sex with someone below 16 constitutes
statutory rape.
In
Malaysia, the legal minimum marriage age is 18 for non-Muslims and 16 for
Muslims.
He said,
although major religions do not promote child marriages, under certain
circumstances some child marriages are allowed.
Dr
Thiyagar said in Malaysia, usually child marriages occur as parents may consent
to it to avoid the shame associated with premarital sex or pregnancies out of
wedlock.
But he
feels that parents must be made aware of the problems that may occur from
letting their daughters below the age of 18 get married.
“They are
not prepared to carry out their duties as a wife or a mother, as they are
denied the appropriate childhood and adolescence, and this causes suffering in
psychological well-being and empowerment.
“They are
too young to make decisions, and along the way they are exploited because major
decisions are usually made by their husbands, and other family members,” he
added.
He said
therefore the Malaysian Paediatric Association emphasises teaching girls how to
be safe, respecting their bodies, and how to get the opposite sex to respect
them as a person.
“It is
also important for sexual reproductive health lessons to be taught in schools
as a subject by itself.
“There is
also a need for the family institution to be strengthened so that young people
are able to talk with family members about sex, which often the topic is a
taboo.
“It is
better for them to get the best knowledge from their family members instead of
getting incorrect information through the media, Internet or friends,” he
added.
Dr
Thiyagar said religious education is also very important.
Consultant
Paediatrician and Paediatric Neurologist Dr Alex Khoo Peng Chuan said no
paediatrician would support child marriage as it is against the rights of the
child.
Dr Khoo
said children are still dependent on others as they are unable to look after themselves
physically, economically or academically.
He said,
medically it is not safe for a child to look after themself, or a family, and
to have sexual intercourse at a young age brings about mental and physical
consequences.
“The
implications of child marriages essentially means an end of childhood, as the
girls stop being somebody’s daughter, and automatically becomes a wife.
“Her
personal development, and independence is curtailed, and they are also at a
greater risk of experiencing complications in pregnancy, and child birth.
“Child
marriages also deprive young girls from having higher education which would
enable them to do better in life,” he added.
Dr Khoo
said allowing young girls to get married provides a form of protection to those
who prey on vulnerable girls.
He said,
because of social disadvantages, lack of education, and poor parental support,
some girls may be forced into marriage.
“The age
difference becomes one of the concerns as a lot of the husbands may actually
have paedophilic tendencies,” he added.
He said
child marriages reinforce gender inequality, and poverty, as married girls
often leave school, which can have an impact on the socio-economic development
of the country
“We need
to promote empowerment for the development of all children into healthy
adults,” Dr Khoo said, adding that worldwide statistics show that 700 million
women were married before their 18th birthday.
This, he
said, was 10% of the world population.
The
United Nations Children’s Fund has estimated an additional 1.2 billion girls
will be a child bride by the year 2050.
Some
child brides he said are only eight or nine years old, and that 90% of
adolescent pregnancies take place within marriage.
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