Almost every nation across the world deals with the heinous problem of child marriage. It’s such a global problem that goes beyond the barriers of cultures, religions, countries, and ethnicities to ruin lives. Studies suggest that about one in five girls are married off before they reach the age of 18. With countries like Nigeria, Bangladesh, Mali, and Nepal leading the list, this time the act took place in Malaysia.
Recently, an 11-year-old girl was married off to a man of 41. Naturally, that sparked outrage not only inside the country but internationally too. Soon Malaysian government started looking into the matter and stated that the local religious authorities don’t have any record of the marriage.
The Twitterati fumed with rage once the picture of the marriage went viral. It showed the adult groom holding the hand of his child bride after the ceremony.
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The girl’s family is from the Malaysian state of Kelantan and is involved in the profession of tapping rubber from trees. The groom is a considerably well-off trader, hence the marriage was arranged. Marrying off girls at a young age due to the financial burden is one of the common reasons behind this global problem.
However, this is not the first time the man is getting married. He already has two wives and six children. The sad part is that his kids are aged between five and 18 whereas the age of his new bride is just 11.
While speaking to a local media the main stated that he is disappointed at people who are criticizing him. He says that though he is involved in child marriage but won’t stay with the girl until she is 16-year-old. This is what he said:
‘I was disappointed with various criticisms and allegations made against me in the social media after I took her as my third wife.’
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