Tasek Gelugor MP Datuk Shabudin Yahya, who is from Umno, was quoted saying in several media reports in Parliament on April 4, 2017, that rape victims would not suffer a bleak future if they married their rapists. He reportedly said this would be a remedy for social problems.

Shabudin also reportedly said girls aged between 9 and 12 years old were "physically and spiritually" ready for marriage.

It is wholly unacceptable to tell rape victims to marry their attacker. Rape is a violent crime.

Perpetrators should not be let off the hook by marrying their victim. How can a woman heal from such a traumatic experience by getting legally bound to her attacker who will have even greater power over her in marriage?

A woman should not be considered "soiled goods" when she is raped. What rape survivors want is justice, not marriage. Rapists should not be rewarded for assaulting girls and women; they should be punished with the full extent of the law.

There is no such thing as "consensual sex" when it comes to intercourse with underage girls. Underage girls cannot legally give consent because they are underage. Hence, any sex with underage girls is considered rape.

Saying that nine-year-old girls are ready for marriage (which means ready for sex) is indicative of pedophilia. Pedophilia is defined as sexual attraction to prepubescent children (generally aged 13 years or younger).

Girls should be educated and be allowed to experience their full potential in adulthood, not be married off to pedophiles.

We urge Umno president and Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak to sack Shabudin from Umno to show that the party does not stand for rape or child marriage.

We also urge the prime minister to raise the age of marriage to 18 years for all Malaysians so that girls and boys can enjoy a rich childhood, free of abuse, and grow up to be future leaders of this nation.