KUALA LUMPUR: The Government can intervene and ban child marriages to protect children from being exploited, says Datuk Dr Mujahid Yusuf Rawa.

The Minister in the Prime Minister's Department in charge of Islamic affairs said measures can be taken by the Government in order to protect children, society, and the image of Islam.

“Although such marriages are allowed in Islam, we must look at it from a larger point of view due to public interest, especially in terms of the protection of children,” he told reporters at the Parliament lobby on Thursday (July 25).

He was asked to respond to a remark by Kelantan Deputy Mentri Besar and PAS vice-president Datuk Mohd Amar Nik Abdullah, who said that the party was against a blanket ban on child marriages.

The Government had earlier said that as a short-term measure, a standard operating procedure was being drafted to tighten provisions relating to child marriages.

The Government also intends to ban the practice eventually as child marriages exploit children, and to a certain extent, “glorifies the paedophile”.

“The Government can intervene to ban it in accordance with Syariah law if the marriage is considered exploitative in nature. We must think about that,” Dr Mujahid said.

Meanwhile, PAS deputy president and Kubang Kerian MP Datuk Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man said the Government can take action but it must study the matter from various aspects.

“If we can see, child marriages do not only revolve around Islam but other religions. It affects the orang asli.

“Their traditions also allow marriages between those as young as 15 to 16 years old.

“So what is the root of the problem here?

“Can we know whether the divorce rate in those age groups is higher compared with those who are older?

“We must look at the issue in totality and not just the age factor,” Tuan Ibrahim said.