Underage sex and child marriage remain a contentious issue in Malaysia, with more latter cases reported in impoverished Malay communities, driven by religious, cultural, and socio-economic factors.
The legal minimum marriage age is 18 in Malaysia. However, girls aged 16 or younger are allowed to be married under sharia and customary laws, with some requiring judicial consent depending on the age.
This legal loophole is often exploited by families, especially in poorer families in Kelantan, who see early marriage as a solution to ease financial hardship or preserve their honour.
On Wednesday, Kelantan state police chief Mohd Yusoff Mamat said that there had been a spike in sexual cases involving minors to 252 last year from 206 in 2023, with social media playing a pernicious role.
The most shocking was a sexual case involving a 15-year-old girl and her 11-year-old cousin, which resulted in her pregnancy.
