The Kulai MP, who urged bipartisan support for her proposal, said when it came to sexual crimes against children, the issue of consent was irrelevant.
This was because children did not have the capacity to consent, or could be sexually groomed and, therefore, willingly consent, she said in a statement today.
“A paedophile is someone who is sexually attracted to children. A paedophile is a criminal. But those who marry underage girls are not?”
Yesterday, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Azalina Othman Said said in Parliament that the bill against child sexual crimes would not include a ban on child marriages.
“In child marriages, there are specific provisions. The bill today is to handle sexual assault,” she was quoted as saying by The Star.
“Yes, touching a child sexually is illegal but when they are married, touching is legal and is not a crime under this bill.”
In her reply to Teo, Azalina added that if a child was already married, it would depend on the case, the report said.
Today, Teo pointed out that Muslim-majority countries such as Algeria, Egypt and Morocco upheld 18 as the minimum age of marriage.
Teo, who has been championing the ban on child marriage, said over 9,000 child marriages had been recorded in Malaysia over the last five years.
“Girls are not brides,” she said.