14 year old girl defends her marriage

A 14-year old Malaysian girl, who married a 23-year-old man, has asserted that early marriage was her individual decision and right.

Speaking to Mingguan Star, a weekly Malay news magazine, she said: "Marriage is the right of the individual and I am well-prepared to take up the duties of a wife."

The girl, Siti Maryam Mahmood, said: "I have thought about the responsibilities and the consequences of marrying at a young age. At the same time, I have my mother to guide me on my marriage and my wifely duties."

The official age for a girl to attain adulthood is 18 in Malaysia.

Her marriage reception was attended by a minister who said the marriage was valid under Islamic law.

But Women, Family and Community Development Minister Shahrizat Abdul Jalil said that the Shariah court's decision to allow Maya's marriage is not a government-endorsed policy.

"Marriage is a serious issue. It is worrying when cases like this become a culture. The risks and impacts are severe to those who get married at a young age," she said, stating that the family institution should not be taken lightly.

Women's right groups, bar association and some NGOs have opposed marriage of minors and have called for change in the federal law of the Muslim majority nation.

Maya got to know her husband, 23-year-old Abdul Manan Othman, early this year when he was giving tuitions on religion to her two younger siblings.

She said both their families were open-minded about the marriage although it had sparked a controversy.

The couple married Oct 22nd but caught public attention only when they took part in a wedding reception organised by the Federal Territory Islamic Affairs Department last week.

Maya said she was not forced into the marriage.