CHILD MARRIAGES IN MALAYSIA: RULES, 11-YEAR OLD GIRLS, HOW IT CAN HAPPEN

CHILD MARRIAGES IN MALAYSIA

wedding in Malaya in the early 20th century

Child marriage continues to occur in Malaysia, with available data indicating that at least 1,500 children were married each year as of 2018. A significant proportion of young women aged 20–24 reported having been married before the age of 18. The practice is more prevalent among girls from poorer households, those with lower levels of education, and those living in rural areas. [Source: UNICEF Data]

According to the United Nations Populations Fund (UNFPA), 1.4 percent of all married women in Malaysia in 2011 were aged between 15 and 19, which amounts to 82,000 girls. In states such as Sabah, studies have found particularly high rates of early marriage, with a 2023 report indicating that 23.1 percent of marriages involved women who had married before the age of 20. Child marriage in Malaysia is often linked to broader structural issues, including poverty, limited access to education, and, in some cases, attempts to address unintended adolescent pregnancies.

S. Indramalar wrote in The Star: “ Child marriages are shockingly prevalent in Malaysia where the legal age of marriage for Non-Muslims is 18. However, marriages are allowed for those between 16 and 18 with written consent from the chief minister. For Muslims, the legal age of marriage for males is 18 and females, 16. With the permission of the Syariah Court, however, Muslims can marry at any age. Some couples are married according to customary rites, and do not register their marriages. [ Source: S. Indramalar, The Star, October 11, 2012 ]

Rules on Child Marriage in Malaysia

Legally, the Age of Majority Act 1971 sets 18 as the age of adulthood in Malaysia. However, exceptions within civil and religious legal frameworks allow for marriages below this age under certain conditions.

Malaysia’s legal system allows for different rules on marriage depending on religious affiliation. Non-Muslims are governed by civil law, which generally sets 18 as the minimum age for marriage, with rare exceptions requiring special approval. Muslims, however, are subject to Islamic law, under which minors may marry with permission from a Shariah court. [Source: Hannah Beech, New York Times, July 29, 2018]

In practice, this means there is no absolute minimum age for Muslim marriages if approval is granted. Religious authorities may permit such unions if certain conditions are met, including parental consent and physical maturity. “As long as a bride agrees, her parents agree and the girl has had her menstrual period, then a marriage is O.K.,” said a local imam.

Despite these provisions, enforcement and oversight have been criticized. In some cases, marriages are was conducted in Thailand without prior approval from a Malaysian Shariah court, resulting in a small fine for the husband. Observers say such penalties do little to deter similar cases.

Data suggests that child marriage applications are rarely rejected. A study found that out of more than 2,000 applications submitted to Shariah courts in several states, only a handful were denied. Critics argue that the system enables early marriage, sometimes even in cases involving abuse or pregnancy, and that stronger legal protections are needed to safeguard children.

Circumstances Behind Child Marriages in Malaysia and Why They Occur

“There are two kinds of child marriages in Malaysia; marriage between an underaged boy and girl, and marriage between a girl and an older man. For a long time, child marriage was thought to be a non-issue in Malaysia. However, recent cases highlighted in the media have raised concern. In October 2010, 14-year-old Siti Maryam Mahmod wedded 23-year-old teacher Abdul Manan Othman and the couple later participated in a mass wedding reception organised by the Federal Territory Islamic Affairs Department (Jawi). Source: S. Indramalar, The Star, October 11, 2012 ]

“Earlier the same year, there was public outcry over the marriage of two girls aged 10 and 11 to men in their 40s in Kelantan. The 11-year-old was found days later abandoned and in a state of shock. Most recently, there was a YouTube video posting of Syafiq, a16-year-old boy and his 14-year-old bride Yana. The video looked professionally shot and the wedding was festive. In the comments section, the response was positive, with many applauding Syafiq for acting “responsibly” by getting married.

UNFPA Representative in Malaysia Saira Shameem said, “In an economically stable country like Malaysia where women are educated and employed in high level jobs and where girls make up 60 percent of the students in tertiary education institutions, this should not be happening. But it does and our study reveals that many of these marriages happen under duress. Many of the subjects interviewed revealed that it wasn’t their choice to get married so young and that given a choice, they would get married when they were 20 or 21,” Saira says. Source: S. Indramalar, The Star, October 11, 2012 ]

“There are many reasons why child marriages happen - for economic survival (young girls are seen as a burden and the family marry her off to both ease their burden and secure her future), to “protect” daughters from unwanted sexual attention and to ensure she does not have pre-marital sex, cultural norms derived from traditional practices and religious beliefs. In Malaysia, the reasons often cited for marrying off young daughters is to ensure they do not get involved in illicit relationships, and to ease the family’s economic burden.

Girls Forced to Marry at a Young Age in Malaysia

Child marriages in Malaysia are often seen as a way to curb promiscuity and to ease the family’s financial burden.S. Indramalar wrote in The Star: “Pushpa went out for motorcycle rides with her boyfriend, and didn’t think all that much of taking gifts from him. But her parents were unhappy she was running around with a boy, and forced them to marry because they didn’t want her to be labelled as promiscuous. She was only 14 then, and had to stop schooling.

“We were friends. We’d never had sex … but he would take me out on his motorcycle after school and buy me presents. My parents heard about our friendship and they were very angry as they thought I had behaved ‘badly’. They forced us to get married. I didn’t want to get married. I wanted to live at home with my brother and sisters,” says Pushpa who is now 18 and pregnant with her second child. By the time she was 16, she had suffered a miscarriage and given birth to her daughter. [Source: S. Indramalar, The Star, October 11, 2012 ]

“The marriage was never a happy one, says Pushpa. Her 28-year-old husband was angry and resentful at being forced to marry her and hardly talked to her. There was no physical abuse but he “wasn’t very nice” to her anymore. “He goes out all the time, gets drunk and then come home and demand that I have sex with him. He gets angry each time I talk about going back to school,” she recounts. “I miss my friends. Now, I stay at home and cook and clean look after my daughter. I live with my husband’s parents and his sisters but I have no friends. They (his sisters) go to school and go out with friends but I … don’t do anything,” says Pushpa, who now lives in Jinjang, Kuala Lumpur after her village in Petaling Jaya was torn down for the development of condominiums. Because she was under the legal age of marriage at the time, Pushpa’s marriage wasn’t registered: the couple merely had a religious ceremony to mark their union.”

Girls Forced to Marry Older Men in Malaysia

S. Indramalar wrote in The Star: “Khatijah (not her real name)was forced to marry a widower when she was 15. “I came home from school one day, and my mother and my aunts told me that they had found a husband for me. He was much older than me but they said he was a good man and would take care of me. I didn’t understand what was happening and why I had to marry this man. Although I said I didn’t want to get married, they said I had to,” recounts the 16-year-old teenager from Pahang who wed less than a year ago. [Source: S. Indramalar, The Star, October 11, 2012 ]

Khatijah’s husband is a 36-year-old widower; a well-respected figure in his village who was looking for a new, young bride. “I don’t want to be pregnant. I don’t want to be married. I want to work and move to KL. Bencilah (I hate it),” says Khatijah who now looks after her two step children, aged seven and nine.

“We are not allowed to drive until we are 17, to vote until we are 21. So how can girls get married, have sex and bear children at 16? or 15? What do they know about the responsibilities or implications of being married, let alone sex and getting pregnant. And then there are the health risks … why would we expose out children to such risks if the effects are so devastating?” says Suriani Kempe, Sisters in Islam’s Programme Manager for Advocacy, Legal Services and Public Education.

41-Year-Old Malaysian Man Marries His Daughter’s 11-Year-Old Best Friend

In the rural town of Gua Musang in northern Malaysia, a case of child marriage drew national attention when an 11-year-old girl, known as Ayu, married a 41-year-old man. The man, Che Abdul Karim Che Abdul Hamid, was already married with children and took Ayu as his third wife. The marriage took place quietly, without the knowledge of many in the community, including those closest to the girl. [Source: Hannah Beech, New York Times, July 29, 2018]

The situation became especially striking because Ayu had been close friends with the man’s teenage daughter, Norazila. The two girls had shared ordinary childhood experiences such as sleepovers, photos, and conversations about boys. Their relationship changed abruptly when Norazila discovered that her friend had become her stepmother. “My best friend is my stepmother now,” she said. “It doesn’t make any sense.”

The marriage highlighted the persistence of child marriage in parts of Malaysia, particularly in poorer and more conservative regions. Ayu came from a disadvantaged background, living in a modest wooden house without running water. Her family’s economic situation contrasted sharply with that of her husband, who lived in a modern home and owned expensive cars.

Such cases are often linked to broader social and economic factors, including poverty, lack of education, and cross-border migration. Ayu, a Thai citizen, had not attended school regularly and frequently accompanied her mother to work. These conditions made her vulnerable to early marriage, a pattern seen in similar cases across the country.

Reaction of Family of the 41-Year-Old Man to His Marry an 11-Year-Old

The marriage created immediate tension within the husband’s existing family, particularly among his first and second wives. Both women opposed the union and confronted him directly about his decision. “We have said to him, it is us or that girl,” said his second wife, Siti Noor Azila. “We said, you choose. You cannot have all three of us.” [Source: Hannah Beech, New York Times, July 29, 2018]

Despite their objections, the marriage went ahead, deepening divisions within the household. Siti Noor described longstanding frustrations over financial support, saying her husband had not adequately provided for their children. She worked as a baker to support the family, even as she saw him spend money on his new wife.

Resentment grew as differences in treatment became more visible. According to Siti Noor, Ayu received privileges that the other wives did not, including trips and access to their husband’s car. “He is so stingy with us, but he has enough money to get married to Ayu and take her on holiday,” she said.

The strain extended to the children as well, with daily life marked by tension and dissatisfaction. Siti Noor described feeling overwhelmed and unsupported while caring for multiple children, including one with a disability. Reflecting on her husband’s behavior, she said, “Their father never takes care of them… He doesn’t even like children.” She then added, “Except one… That Ayu.”

Outrage Over a 41-Year-Old Man Marrying an 11-Year-Old Girl

The case quickly sparked widespread outrage in Malaysia, especially after images of the wedding were shared on social media. Public criticism intensified when the man’s second wife posted photos online with a sarcastic “happy wedding” message. The incident reignited debate over child marriage and its place in modern Malaysian society. [Source: Hannah Beech, New York Times, July 29, 2018]

Political leaders and activists condemned the practice, arguing that it was outdated and harmful. “This is a practice from many centuries ago and at this stage in Malaysia’s growth and development, child marriage is not acceptable,” said lawmaker Charles Santiago. The issue had already been raised in political discussions, with promises to outlaw child marriage forming part of an election platform.

Government responses, however, were cautious. Deputy Prime Minister Wan Azizah Wan Ismail referred to the case as an “alleged incident” and urged restraint in public reactions. “It would be unjust to lynch someone on social media because of how we feel about the issue,” she said, noting that investigations were ongoing.

Human rights advocates expressed frustration at what they saw as a lack of urgency. Lawyer Latheefa Koya stated, “The girl is a victim, no doubt about it… Why are we dillydallying in protecting a child?” She also rejected arguments linking the issue to religion, saying, “As a Muslim, I am offended by the idea that we should not protect a child because of an assumption that this has something to do with Islam.”

Malaysian Rapist Marries 13-Year-Old Alleged Victim

In May 2013, a 40-year-old man took a 13-year-old girl he allegedly assaulted as his second wife. Kate Hodal wrote in The Guardian, “The case of a 40-year-old Malaysian man who is charged with raping a 13-year-old girl before marrying her under sharia law has provoked national outrage. The alleged rape happened in the eastern state of Sabah, where more than half of such cases involve underage girls, according to human rights activists. Riduan Masmud, a restaurant owner, was charged with raping the girl, whom he had known for six months, in a parked car in February. He took her as his second wife – by mutual consent, he said – soon after that. "There are many cases of men marrying underage girls," Masmud told reporters outside court. "I do not see why my case should be any different." [Source: Kate Hodal, The Guardian, May 22, 2013 ++]

“Masmud said he planned for the girl to finish her studies and then "take up a cosmetics course with my first wife". The wife told reporters she had accepted the girl as Masmud's second wife. The girl's father claims Masmud had paid the family 5,000 Malaysian ringgits (£1,100) in compensation, and told reporters he accepted the marriage. "It is best for her that they get married," he said. "What else can I do?" ++

“Human rights groups urged the government to press on with charges when the prosecution tried to drop the case after the marriage. "This case is part of a worrying trend in which older men proposed marriage after being charged with statutory rape to circumvent the mandatory provisions of the penal code," Mary Lee, of Sabah's Action Resource Group, told the Star. "The state cannot be seen by the public to condone such action by letting off the accused under the guise of marriage." ++

“The state minister of community and consumer affairs, Datuk Jainab Ahmad, said her ministry was "questioning the validity of the marriage", and that she had told Sabah's welfare services department to put the victim under protection. "As a mother, I am still puzzled: how could the father or the girl allow his daughter to be married to the man who had raped her?" Ahmad asked. "The girl was only 12 years and six months. I believe the victim is in a trauma. She should be protected instead [of] marrying the man who had raped her." The Malaysian anti-corruption commission is investigating the claims that Masmud paid the family.” ++

Image Sources: Wikimedia Commons

Text Sources: “Encyclopedia of World Cultures Volume 5: East/Southeast Asia:” edited by Paul Hockings; 1993; New York Times; Washington Post; Los Angeles Times; Smithsonian magazine; Encyclopedia.com; National Geographic; Live Science; Malaysia Tourism websites; Malaysia government websites; UNESCO; Metropolitan Museum of Art; Natural History magazine; Times of London; Library of Congress; The Conversation; The New Yorker; Time; BBC; CNN; Reuters; Associated Press; AFP; Lonely Planet Guides; Google AI; Wikipedia; The Guardian and various websites; books and other publications.

Last updated May 2026