He said marriages involving underage children have an unfair impact on poor girls.
“Suhakam is worried if this practice (child marriage) continues, parents can sell their children legally in the form of marriage as a solution to poverty by turning children into commodities,” he said in a statement today.
To avoid child marriages, he said the women, family and community development ministry should make social protection programmes for poor children a priority.
“The ministry should take measures to prevent child marriages in whatever situation and the ministry is responsible to protect children against exploitation,” he said.
The latest case of child marriage reported by the media was of a 15-year-old girl being married to a 44-year-old member of the People’s Volunteer Corps (Rela) in Tumpat, Kelantan, in July this year.
According to the report, the girl’s parents gave their blessing for the marriage because they did not want their daughter to live in hardship.
It was the second case involving child marriage reported in Kelantan this year.
The first was in June involving an 11-year-old girl in Gua Musang to a 41-year-old rubber dealer.