Child marriage is something found in all communities in Malaysia because there is no law (either civil or syariah) stating an age of marriage (to be 18, for example).

 

As a result, it is also to be found in the Rohingya refugee community here in Malaysia.

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Our pioneering community documentation on Child Marriage in the Rohingya Community in Penang in 2020 set out the many factors and issues related to child marriage from the perspective of the Rohingya community.

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It also set out what has been needed to tackle the issue, at both national and community level.

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An updated report was published in March 2024 and updated in December, reviewing progress and adding the 'push' situation of the awful and deteriorating situations in Arakan state in Myanmar and in the Bangladesh refugee camps, which have led many parents to marry their daughters young (including to persons in Malaysia) in the perception that 'marriage is a safe space' and it will 'save' their daughters from possible rape, abduction, and harassment. 

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Finding solutions are therefore challenging but understanding the reasons why Rohingya families might choose this course of action is basic to any search. The Penang Refugee Network have been very active on this issue for at least the last six years. Initially training three teams of refugees - women, men and religious leaders - in partnership with PS The Children, we then have been supported by the Canadian Fund for Local Initiatives (through the Canadian High Commission) to develop community-based work and outreach.  

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One key component to addressing the issues around child marriage is to work quietly with refugee women, youth and men in the refugee community both here and in Myanmar and Bangladesh. Through community talks delivered by our teams of women, youth and men, we aim to raise awareness about the issues related to child marriage , including child development and the physical, emotional, social and spiritual development of children at different ages. Of course the idea is to change attitudes and work towards the eradication of the practice (which, to repeat, is not only an issue for the refugee community in Malaysia).

 

So our women's team (all refugees) have been delivered over 70 such quiet, informal talks with other women and youth in their local communities, as well as taking the messages to teachers in learning centres providing education for refugees. Our men's team and youth team have also held a number of community discussions and some of the Rohingya religious leaders are also active in attempting to persuade their colleagues not to authorise a child marriage.

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Meanwhile a Malaysian government National Strategy to Address the Factors relating to Underage Marriage was launched late in 2019 but sadly disappeared from view following a collapse/change in government and in personnel at the Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development. Now with a revived PKR-led coalition government, working towards resurrecting such a national strategy will be crucial in helping eradicate child marriage, not least the enforcement of a minimum age of marriage at 18 years old. We will continue to support these wider efforts too.

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Recent discussions generated from the work of our women, youth and men's teams have also highlighted the link between child marriage and human trafficking and smuggling. This is linked to initiatives undertaken by the Penang Refugee Network supported by the Global Initiatives Resilience Fund. The difficulty of combatting huge, well-organised and well-financed criminal syndicates working across borders is of course a huge challenge for all of us. For the refugee teams in Penang, feeding in experience and ideas into wider forums is critical for people to understand the realities on the ground. And again, the teams have devised appropriate community-based initiatives which mainly aim at disseminating key information and messaging that may help change attitudes and behaviours, and allow people to seek help where possible.

 

Slowly but surely........

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