Kedah is now the latest state after Selangor to have banned child marriage, after amending its state laws to raise the minimum age of marriage for girls from 16 to 18. But in many states across Malaysia, child marriage is still permissible by law, and the government has stated that there are no plans to ban it yet, despite continued calls by child rights’ activists and NGOs. Consultant urologist Dr George Lee is joined by Dato’ Dr Narimah Awin, technical advisor on sexual and reproductive health and rights with UNFPA Malaysia, to dive into why it matters that we see child marriage as a public health issue. Dato’ Dr Narimah is also the former chairperson of the National Population and Family Development Board (LPPKN) and former director of the Family Health Development Division, Ministry of Health.



Image credit: Shutterstock

Kedah is now the latest state after Selangor to have banned child marriage, after amending its state laws to raise the minimum age of marriage for girls from 16 to 18. But in many states across Malaysia, child marriage is still permissible by law, and the government has stated that there are no plans to ban it yet, despite continued calls by child rights’ activists and NGOs. Consultant urologist Dr George Lee is joined by Dato’ Dr Narimah Awin, technical advisor on sexual and reproductive health and rights with UNFPA Malaysia, to dive into why it matters that we see child marriage as a public health issue. Dato’ Dr Narimah is also the former chairperson of the National Population and Family Development Board (LPPKN) and former director of the Family Health Development Division, Ministry of Health.Image credit: Shutterstock

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