13 year old rape victim who became wife of her alleged perpetrator in Sabah, Malaysia

Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia. Source (The Star/ANN)

The Sabah Welfare Department is taking steps to take a 13-year-old alleged rape victim under its care and protection while trying to nullify her marriage to the man accused of having sex with her.

Announcing this, state Community Development and Consumer Affairs Minister Jainab Ahmad appealed to the prosecution to go ahead with the statutory rape charge against 40-year-old restaurant manager Riduan Masmud.

Jainab said she had directed her officers to take immediate action to obtain a court order to have the girl placed under the care and protection of the department under the Child Act 2001.

"The girl is young and cannot decide for herself. She needs counselling and we have to hear her side. She was 12 years and six months old when the alleged offence took place," she added.

Jainab cast doubts on the legality of the marriage between Riduan and the girl after checking with Syariah court officials.

"A registrar told me there were two applications one from the man seeking consent to take a second wife, and another from the father of the girl seeking permission for his daughter to marry.

"They told me the father's application was allowed but there was no consent given for the man to take a second wife," she told reporters here yesterday.

On a personal note, she said she was saddened that the father had allowed his daughter to marry Riduan, who has four children, aged two to 17 years.

"Is it to hide the shame? Is it (the marriage) going to resolve the matter? This is very disturbing," she said.

The Sessions Court on Monday gave the prosecution until June 6 to decide on whether it wanted to proceed with rape charges against Riduan after the girl withdrew the rape report against him on April 18.

Riduan was charged on Feb 28 with statutory rape of the girl inside a car parked by the roadside in Inanam near here at about 10am on Feb 18.

Counsel Loretto J. Padua informed the court that the syariah marriage certificate had been presented to the investigating officer and confirmed that the two were now married.

Riduan is out on 8,000 ringgit (US$2,650) bail.

Isu kahwin kanak kanak di Kelantan, USIA Sabah pandang berat

MESRA… Setiausaha Agung USIA Datuk Haji Abdullah Hussin (kiri sekali) bersalaman dengan ahli jawatankuasa penganjur sejurus tiba untuk merasmikan seminar USIA di Semporna pada 16 Mac 2010.

Kes dua kanak kanak perempuan berusia 10 tahun dan 11 tahun yang dikahwinkan secara paksa tanpa kerelaan mereka oleh bapa sendiri, mendapat perhatian pelbagai pihak di Malaysia yang rata ratanya mengutuk perbuatan itu.

Malahan Mursyidul Am Pas merangkap Menteri Besar Kelantan sendiri Dato Nik Aziz Nik Mat juga kesal dan marah dengan kejadian itu.

Di Sabah,Pertubuhan Islam Seluruh Sabah atau USIA memandang berat isu kahwin yang melibatkan kanak-kanak dibawah umur sebagaimana yang dilaporkan di media cetak yang berlaku di kampong Kuala Krai Kelantan.

Dalam kes berkenaan kanak-kanak Siti Nur Zubaidah Hussin 11 tahun telah dikahwinkan oleh ayahnya sendiri Hussin Mat Salleh dengan Shamsuddin Che Deraman selepas percaya perbuatan itu mengikut sunnah Nabi Muhamad.

Selepas berkahwin kanak-kanak tersebut dilarikan sebelum dijumpai ditinggalkan di Masjid Al-Ikhwan di Taman Samudera Kepong Kuala Lumpur.

Setiausaha Agung (USIA) Datuk Haji Abdullah Hussin berkata beliau bersetuju dengan pendapat Menteri Pembanguna Wanita Keluarga dan Masyarakat Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil agar pihak yang berkenaan mengambil tindakan terhadap mereka yang terlibat dalam kes ini.

Abdullah berkata kanak-kanak seharusnya diberikan peluang membesar,menikmati zaman remajanya, belajar serta mencapai cita-cita dalam hidupnya sebelum memikirkan soal perkahwinan dan adalah tidak wajar mereka dipaksa berkahwin terutamanya dalam usia yang masih muda.

Abdullah berkata demikian ketika ditemui di Semporna, Sabah selepas merasmikan Seminar Kefahaman Islam anjuran bahagian Dakwah JAKIM Pusat dengan keja sama NGO Islam.

Menurut beliau, Sunah Rasulullah tidak harus disalah tafsir dan dijadikan alasan oleh mana-mana pihak dengan membenarkan amalan perkahwinan kanak-kanak, kerana ini boleh merosakkan imej Islam.

“ Imej Islam adalah sangat baik dan mulia,maka perbuatan yang boleh menjejas dan merosakkan imej Islam haruslah dijauhi” katanya

Terdahulu ketika berucap merasmikan majlis tersebut Abdullah berkata, para pendakwah mempunyai tanggungjawab besar untuk menyebarkan dakwah Islam oleh itu mereka harus mempelbagaikan pendekatan dan teknik dakwah untuk menghadapi cabaran tersebut.