The marriage of an 11-year-old Thai girl to a man 30 years her senior has provoked huge upset in Malaysia, where the two live.
The man, named by the Associated Press as Che Abdul Karim Che Abdul Hamid, reportedly traveled to Thailand and married the girl there in June.
News and photos of the marriage spread after Che Abdul Karim's second wife, Effa Zulkifle, shared a now-deleted Facebook post with the caption, "Congratulations on your wedding, my husband, 41, his other wife, 11."
Screenshots of Zulkifle's post spread to Twitter, where it went viral.
@EzanIdma @SyedSaddiq @drwanazizah @maszlee please investigate this matter. We cannot allow child marriage.
People were outraged.
I'M SO TIRED WITH THIS SICK WORLD SHE'S 11 FOR GOD'S SAKE!!! PEDOPHILES SHOULD ROT IN HELL HER PARENTS TOO https://t.co/scAiLNkxrB
WHAT THE FUCK 11 TAHUN DAH KAHWIN???? https://t.co/Z4KlawVZi7
"WHAT THE FUCK MARRIED AT 11 YEARS OLD????"
Many called for an end to child marriage.
If true, this is disgusting @drwanazizah It's time we protected the children of this country. https://t.co/2bCFMu9A4M
Neglects his first wife, letting her take care of their four children, then marries an 11 year-old girl as his second wife. It's hard to convey genuine outrage on the internet bc it seems like the default emotion, but this makes me SO MAD. HOW ARE WE LETTING THIS HAPPEN????? https://t.co/HmrmV89MOe
I have no words. So disappointed and sad. How can this be allowed in this day and age pun I don't know. Kids should be allowed to be kids, umur 11 tahun patut fikir prepare nak UPSR, not the possibility of getting pregnant and jaga hati madu. https://t.co/8ZBtLg1126
Malaysian Muslims below the age of 16 are allowed to marry with the permission of a religious court, but the Malaysian government said that local religious authorities do not have any record of this marriage.
Deputy Prime Minister Wan Azizah Wan Ismail said that the government is investigating the marriage.
"We must make sure there is no discrimination or coercion in this marriage, especially towards the child,” said Wan Azizah — the women, family and community development minister — to the Star.
She said that officers had been dispatched to meet with the girl's mother, and officials are "waiting for more reports before deciding on the next course of action."
If the man is found to have married the girl without permission, he could face six months in prison.
Che Abdul Karim reportedly said that he was disappointed by the reaction on social media.
"I am looking into this matter to pursue a legal action to clear my name from the inaccurate and malicious allegations," he told local publication Bernama.
He also told reporters that he intended to get her a proper marriage certification when she turned 16.
CORRECTION
The name of local outlet Bernama was misspelled in a previous version of this post.