Malaysian Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) perspective on child marriage

In Malaysia, Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) play a pivotal role in advocating against child marriage and influencing societal perceptions of this detrimental practice. While the Malaysian government has made efforts to address this issue, the proposal to legally raise the marriageable age to...

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Main Authors: Mohd Al Adib Samuri, Nurhafilah Musa, Helmiah Abd Razak
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Penerbit Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia 2024
Online Access:http://journalarticle.ukm.my/23721/
http://journalarticle.ukm.my/23721/1/Akademika_94_1_20.pdf
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author Mohd Al Adib Samuri,
Nurhafilah Musa,
Helmiah Abd Razak,
author_facet Mohd Al Adib Samuri,
Nurhafilah Musa,
Helmiah Abd Razak,
author_sort Mohd Al Adib Samuri,
building UKM Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description In Malaysia, Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) play a pivotal role in advocating against child marriage and influencing societal perceptions of this detrimental practice. While the Malaysian government has made efforts to address this issue, the proposal to legally raise the marriageable age to 18 for all genders has been met with mixed reactions from different segments of society. This study aims to investigate the viewpoints of Malaysian CSOs on child marriage. A roundtable discussion was held with 11 representatives from organisations focusing on children’s and women’s issues. The findings reveal a consensus among most participants against child marriage, citing children’s rights violations and misconceptions about children’s maturity and the nature of marriage. Contrarily, some Muslim factions endorse child marriage for religious reasons, leading to varied opinions among CSO members, ranging from outright opposition to conditional or complete acceptance. The study highlights key reasons for opposing child marriage, such as the infringement of children’s rights, concerns about sexual and reproductive health, and the vulnerability of children. It also outlines CSO strategies for combating child marriage, including reshaping public discourse, emphasising girls’ education, and providing targeted sexual and reproductive health education to at-risk youth.
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spelling oai:generic.eprints.org:237212024-07-01T08:38:42Z http://journalarticle.ukm.my/23721/ Malaysian Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) perspective on child marriage Mohd Al Adib Samuri, Nurhafilah Musa, Helmiah Abd Razak, In Malaysia, Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) play a pivotal role in advocating against child marriage and influencing societal perceptions of this detrimental practice. While the Malaysian government has made efforts to address this issue, the proposal to legally raise the marriageable age to 18 for all genders has been met with mixed reactions from different segments of society. This study aims to investigate the viewpoints of Malaysian CSOs on child marriage. A roundtable discussion was held with 11 representatives from organisations focusing on children’s and women’s issues. The findings reveal a consensus among most participants against child marriage, citing children’s rights violations and misconceptions about children’s maturity and the nature of marriage. Contrarily, some Muslim factions endorse child marriage for religious reasons, leading to varied opinions among CSO members, ranging from outright opposition to conditional or complete acceptance. The study highlights key reasons for opposing child marriage, such as the infringement of children’s rights, concerns about sexual and reproductive health, and the vulnerability of children. It also outlines CSO strategies for combating child marriage, including reshaping public discourse, emphasising girls’ education, and providing targeted sexual and reproductive health education to at-risk youth. Penerbit Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia 2024 Article PeerReviewed application/pdf en http://journalarticle.ukm.my/23721/1/Akademika_94_1_20.pdf Mohd Al Adib Samuri, and Nurhafilah Musa, and Helmiah Abd Razak, (2024) Malaysian Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) perspective on child marriage. AKADEMIKA, 94 (1). pp. 266-280. ISSN 0126-5008 https://ejournal.ukm.my/akademika/issue/view/1701
spellingShingle Mohd Al Adib Samuri,
Nurhafilah Musa,
Helmiah Abd Razak,
Malaysian Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) perspective on child marriage
title Malaysian Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) perspective on child marriage
title_full Malaysian Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) perspective on child marriage
title_fullStr Malaysian Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) perspective on child marriage
title_full_unstemmed Malaysian Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) perspective on child marriage
title_short Malaysian Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) perspective on child marriage
title_sort malaysian civil society organizations (csos) perspective on child marriage
url http://journalarticle.ukm.my/23721/
http://journalarticle.ukm.my/23721/
http://journalarticle.ukm.my/23721/1/Akademika_94_1_20.pdf