Child Marriage is Considered to Trigger Violence and Child Care Problems

JAKARTA - Child marriage is still a serious problem that has a wide impact on child protection and welfare. The government assesses that this practice has the potential to trigger various risks, ranging from violence to problems of quality care and the lives of future generations.

The Ministry of Empowerment of Women and Child Protection (PPPA) again emphasized the importance of stopping the practice of child marriage as a preventive measure against various negative impacts that children can experience.

"The perpetrator, who is currently 19 years old and has been married twice, proves that child marriage is still happening in society and poses a risk of violence against children and the quality of life of the next generation born," said Assistant Deputy for Providing Services for Children in Need of Special Protection of the Ministry of PPPA Ciput Eka Purwianti when contacted in Jakarta, Monday.

The statement was made by Ciput Eka Purwianti in response to a case of a mother who killed her newborn baby in Jember Regency, East Java.

According to him, marriage at a young age does not have a positive impact, so socialization efforts to stop this practice need to continue to be carried out sustainably in society.

He also emphasized that marriage, including those conducted at an age considered ready to marry, still requires assistance before marriage.

"Young people who are ready to get married need to get premarital assistance for education, including reproductive health and positive parenting for the best interests of children, as well as psychological assistance," said Ciput Eka Purwianti.

Previously, the police found pieces of a baby's body inside a septic tank in Jember Regency, East Java, on December 22, 2025.

After an investigation, the police named a woman with the initials RH (19), who is the victim's biological mother, as a suspect in the murder case.

RH is known to have given birth to her baby independently in the bathroom of her house. He is said to have panicked because the labor process happened suddenly and was not known by others.

In this condition, the suspect committed violence against the baby and threw part of the victim's body into the septic tank, while the other body parts were buried in the family cemetery.

Based on police information, the suspect is known to have been married twice and has never been recorded to have been pregnant before. In his second marriage, RH has been divorced since June 2025, before finally giving birth to a baby boy in December 2025.