Wonders shall never cease! A Barisan Nasional lawmaker has caused
outrage internationally after he suggested that some 9-year-olds were
“physically and spiritually” ready for marriage and also that rapists
should be allowed to marry their victims as a way to remedy the
situation.
The Malaysian member of parliament, Tasek Gelugor,
made the comment yesterday as Malaysia passed a law on sexual offences
against children without criminalising child marriage. Gelugor’s comment
was in response to a proposal by a female opposition member of
parliament to amend the Sexual Offences Against Children bill so that
child marriages can be banned.
Gelugor refused her suggestion and
said that some 12- and 15-year-old girls looked older than their actual
ages and that if a girl reaches puberty at the age of 9 she was ready
for marriage and should be allowed to get married.
“When we
discuss 12- and 15-year-olds, we don’t see their physical bodies because
some children aged 12 or 15, their bodies are like 18-year-old women,”
Gelugor said.
He continued: “They reach puberty at the age of 9
or 12. And at that time, their body is already akin to them being 18
years old. So physically and spiritually, it is not a barrier for the
girl to marry.”
On the issue of rape, Gelugor, who is a former
Syariah court judge, said that although rape is a criminal offence, the
rapist and the victim should be “given a second chance to turn a new
leaf in life”.
“Perhaps through marriage they can lead a
healthier, better life. And the person who was raped does not
necessarily have a bleak future. She will have a husband, at least, and
this could serve as a remedy to growing social problems,” he said. “The
girl becomes safer when she is married rather than when she is left
alone. Don’t assume they (rapists) remain bad people.”
Dr Siti
Mariah, the woman who called for child marriages to be made a criminal
offence, objected to his suggestion, arguing that allowing the rapist to
marry the victim would not guarantee a better life.
“I don’t
agree with marrying off the victim to the rapist. If the rapist repents,
maybe that’s fine, but what if the husband is ‘haprak’ (useless)?” she
said.
Sadly, Dr Siti’s motion to amend the Sexual Offences
Against Children Bill to include child marriages as an offence was
ultimately defeated by a voice vote.
360L
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