Fewer child marriages now

THE number of underage marriages among Muslims dropped after the introduction of a strict standard operating procedure (SOP) under the Syariah Courts, says the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs).

Idris Ahmad said according to the Syariah Judiciary Department (JKSM), approval of these marriages via the e-syariah system three years before the enforcement of the SOP – between Sept 1, 2015, and Aug 31, 2018 – totalled 2,885 nationwide.