22.04.2017 - 03:32 [ Tashny Sukumaran/South China Morning Post ]

In Malaysia, why is child sex bad but child marriage OK?

“Sweetheart” cases – so called because of the perceived romantic element – are rampant in Malaysia, often ending in divorce. In many cases it’s a cruel misnomer – marriages are often concluded to resolve criminal liability, to escape rape charges or penalties for premarital sex. In 2015, the health minister said an average of 18,000 teens get pregnant annually, a quarter of them out of wedlock.