Fatimah (fifth left) together with Pitsa committee members in a group photo. Also seen are Jamilah (fourth left), Salmah (fifth right) and Zuriah (second left).


 

 
KUCHING: Taska Qaseh Laila I and II opened by Sarawak Single Mothers Association (Pitsa) give single mothers a safe place to send their young children while they are at work.

The nurseries serve as a very important support system for working single mothers, says Minister of Welfare, Community Well Being, Women, Family and Childhood Development Dato Sri Fatimah Abdullah.

“As a minister, I heartily support what Pitsa is doing, as providing single mothers and parents a safe place for their young children while they are at work, allows them to gain some financial independence, rather than depending solely on assistance from the Welfare Department,” she said during Pitsa’s Hari Raya Aidilfitri and Gawai Dayak dinner at a local hotel last Saturday.

In reference to a recent case where an 11-year-old girl was allegedly married off to a 41-year-old man, Fatimah reminded all that the consent to marriage by someone under 12 is not taken into account under the Section 90 (c) of the Penal Code.

She added that generally vulnerable families living in poverty or with single parents are the target in such cases.
“In Sarawak, under the Sarawak Islamic Family Law Ordinance 2001, Section 7 states that the minimum age of marriage is 18 for boys and 16 for girls, unless a Syarie Judge has given written consent in certain scenarios.

“Under Section 11, a marriage between these two parties cannot be registered under this Ordinance unless there is consent from the girl’s father, or an authorised Syarie Judge where the girl is a resident,” she added.

Tanjung Datu assembywoman Datuk Amar Jamilah Anu, Pitsa president Salmah Ibrahim and Pitsa Social Club chairperson Zuriah Abdul Hamed were also present at the event.