"Child marriage is a necessity in Kelantan," concludes PAS Government Round Table

A round table organized by the Kelantan government, led by SAP, concluded that the marriage of minors was in accordance with Syariah law and even a "necessity" in the state.

This was part of the seven resolutions adopted at the "Roundtable on Child Marriage: A Holistic Approach and Evaluation" held in Kota Bharu, according to Utusan Malaysia.

However, the resolution stated that, in accordance with article 8 of the 2002 Islamic Family Law Act (Kelantan), written authorization from the court is required for early marriages.

The roundtable also took a resolution against Putrajaya's plan to raise the minimum age of marriage for girls from 16 to 18 years old.

The round table also rejected the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), which advocates set 18 years as the minimum age of marriage.

"These two conventions are not suitable for implementation, especially for Kelantan Muslims … In addition, there is a strict mechanism governing the marriage of minors in the law and standard operating procedures", said the resolution.

The roundtable was jointly organized by the state government, the Department of Islamic Affairs of Kelantan (Jheaik) and Kelantan Pertubuhan Lepasan Undang-Undang in Hak Asasi Manusia (Luham).