Galen Centre backs S’wak proposal for minimum marriage age at 18, urges stronger safeguards

KUCHING (Feb 5): The Galen Centre for Health and Social Policy has expressed support for the Sarawak government’s proposal to standardise the minimum age of marriage at 18 across the state’s legal frameworks, including civil, Syariah and customary law.

While welcoming the move, its chief executive officer Azrul Mohd Khalib stressed that the policy must be accompanied by stronger preventive measures to effectively protect children and adolescents.

“These include youth-friendly sexual and reproductive health services, sustained efforts to keep adolescents in school, comprehensive age-appropriate education, and improved safeguarding systems to prevent coercion, abuse and exploitation,” he said.

Azrul also cautioned that any ‘exceptions’ to the minimum age requirement should not undermine protections for children and adolescents, describing the move as evidence-based step that aligns with public health priorities.

“From a health standpoint, adolescent pregnancy is associated with poorer outcomes for both mother and baby including higher risks of pregnancy and childbirth complications,” he said.

“There are also knock-on effects such as dropping out of school, reduced life opportunities, and intergenerational poverty.”

He added that establishing a clear minimum age must go hand in hand with practical prevention strategies to reduce teenage pregnancy and strengthen adolescent wellbeing.

“Underage marriages are not necessary and are harmful, particularly for girls,” Azrul said, noting that early marriage carries significant reproductive, mental and social risks for young people.

He further highlighted the importance of enabling adolescents to delay pregnancy until adulthood, remain in education, and develop the skills needed for stable livelihoods, which in turn contribute to improved maternal and child health outcomes.

On Monday, State Minister of Women, Childhood and Community Wellbeing Development Dato Sri Fatimah Abdullah announced that the Sarawak government has proposed setting the minimum age of marriage at 18 as part of ongoing efforts to curb early marriages and teenage pregnancies, while safeguarding the health, welfare, and future of young people.