I REFER to your editorial comment on “End child marriages” (NST, Oct 12).
As a Children’s Court adviser, I wonder if there are many of such marriages. If there are, what can we do about them?
We need to come up with a law which stipulates that only girls above 18 can marry.
These days, we see girls, who are in early teens, getting married. They are just children.
However, do we have the will to put a stop to these marriages? The time has come for us to eliminate the harmful practice of child marriages.
They normally occur in poor, rural communities. In these areas, parents arrange for their daughters to be married off and live with
her husband and his family — strangers, essentially.
Once married, she is likely to be a victim of domestic violence and suffer health complications associated with early sexual activity and childbearing. This will prevent girls from reaching their full potential.
It is important to raise awareness on the harmful consequences of child marriage.
n BULBIR SINGH, Seremban, Negri Sembilan