KUALA LUMPUR (Nov 11): Only Selangor and Kedah have amended their laws to set the minimum marriage age for Muslims at 18, while similar amendments in other states remain subject to their respective deliberations and legislative processes, the Dewan Rakyat was told on Wednesday.

Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri said the government, through her ministry, would continue efforts to standardise the minimum marriage age at 18 nationwide in close cooperation with state governments.

She said the initiative requires engagement with state religious authorities, relevant agencies and stakeholders, as matters relating to Islamic family law fall under state jurisdiction.

“We are trying to achieve uniformity nationwide, but since marriage matters fall under state jurisdiction, we will make every effort to ensure that all states work together with the federal government and agree on how to address underage marriage.

“The Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development has been highlighting the risks associated with underage marriage, particularly its impact on children's education, health, safety and future opportunities, during engagement sessions with state governments,” she said during the question-and-answer session.

She was responding to a supplementary question from Datuk Siti Zailah Mohd Yusoff (Perikatan Nasional-Rantau Panjang) on the progress of the National Strategic Plan to Address the Causes of Underage Marriage (2020-2025) and efforts to standardise the minimum legal marriage age nationwide.

Nancy said a total of 1,361 underage marriages were recorded in 2024, compared with 923 in 2023 and 1,467 in 2019, covering marriages registered under civil, shariah and customary laws.

She said, however, that the increase in recorded cases in 2024 was partly due to more systematic data collection in Sarawak.

Nancy also said two studies are expected to be completed by early 2027, one assessing the effectiveness of the national strategic plan's implementation and the other examining risk factors and prevention strategies for underage marriage.

She added that the findings of both studies would be used to identify implementation gaps and determine more targeted, evidence-based follow-up measures.

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