'9-year-old is youngest mum in Malaysia'

7 Aug 2023 • 5:48 PM MYT
Daily Express
Daily Express

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PETALING JAYA: A nine-year-old girl is the youngest mother on record in the country, according to the head of an NGO.

Speaking to Sinar Harian, Yayasan Ikhlas chairman Zainur Rashid Zainuddin said the girl became pregnant after she was raped by her brother, who had been influenced by pornographic videos he had watched online.

She added that the case, which happened three years ago in Penang, was of concern due to the girl’s young age.

“In the past, cases of childbirth out of wedlock involved teenagers aged 17 to 18, but now it’s happening among girls from the ages of nine to 13,” Zainur said.

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She added that the number of cases involving teenage pregnancies had also been on the rise in recent years.

According to Zainur, a study showed that one out of every 10 teenagers in Malaysia has had some sexual relations, with most cases involving boys aged 13 to 16 after being exposed to online porn.

She was speaking at the launch of the Sexuality and Reproductive Health Education Module (ReproAlert) in Putrajaya, an Islamic-based sexuality and reproductive health education module aimed at addressing sexual issues among children and teenagers.

Yayasan Ikhlas was formed in 2009 with the aim of helping orphans, the disabled, and the hardcore poor.

It also provides assistance in disaster relief efforts and scholarships or incentives to individuals or groups for their studies or research in Malaysia.

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