MP SPEAKS | Update MPs on plan to tackle child marriage

MP SPEAKS | On Jan 15, 2020, the then deputy prime minister Wan Azizah who was also minister for women, family and community development launched the National Strategy Plan in Handling Causes of Child Marriage.

It was a five-year plan that outlined 17 strategies and involved 61 agencies spanning 58 programmes. The aim was to raise awareness, change perception and stigma related to underaged marriage issues in the society," and would address the six main contributing factors leading to child marriages:

• low household income and poverty;

• lack or no access to sexual reproductive health education and parenting skills;

• lack of access to education and poor school attendance;

• stigma and social norms that dictate that underaged marriage is the best solution to address problems;

• loose laws that provide for marriage under the age of 18;

• coordination of marital data and underage divorce.

Then, 39 days later, the Sheraton Move happened and Pakatan Harapan was no longer in Government and a cocktail of characters became the new Government in Malaysia. Rina Mohd Harun, MP for Titiwangsa became the new Minister for the Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development, with Siti Zailah, MP for Rantau Panjang as her trusted deputy.