SUHAKAM urges Perak to review RM500 marriage incentive

Malaysia’s children’s rights commission has warned Perak against offering marriage payments to teenagers, saying the proposed scheme could send the wrong signal about child marriage.

The Perak government has proposed a RM500 first-marriage incentive for people aged 15 to 35. Dr. Farah Nini Dusuki, the children’s rights commissioner at the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia, or SUHAKAM, said the proposal should be reviewed before it is considered in the state’s 2027 budget.

SUHAKAM acknowledged the government’s aim of helping young people manage the financial and social challenges of forming a family. But Dusuki said no marriage incentive should go to children or anyone under 18. Although 15-year-olds may fall within the definition of youth for certain development programs, she said child-rights protections under Malaysia’s Child Act 2001 should take priority.

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However, no form of marriage incentive should be given to children or individuals under 18.

She said including 15- to 17-year-olds among potential beneficiaries could conflict with efforts to prevent and eliminate child marriage. Such marriages can have lasting effects on education, health, development, safety, autonomy and psychosocial well-being, she said. Policies affecting children should also follow the principle of the child’s best interests and take their views into account.

Dusuki noted that people aged 16 and 17 remain within Malaysia’s upper-secondary education system. If the first-marriage incentive proceeds, she said eligibility should be limited to people aged 18 and above. She also urged Perak to reform its laws to set 18 as the minimum marriage age for Muslim men and women, saying any exemption for younger individuals should be genuinely exceptional.

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Although the purpose of the incentive is to ease the financial burden on young couples, financial assistance specifically linked to marriage could create the perception that marriage among children is accepted, supported or encouraged.