Child Marriage Cannot Be Normalized, Government Strengthens Child Rights Protection

JAKARTA - Child marriage is still a serious problem in Indonesia because it has long-term impacts on children's lives. This practice often stops access to education, increases the risk of physical and mental health, and limits children's opportunities to develop optimally.

The impact is not only felt by individuals, but also affects the quality of human resources and the development of social and economic development broadly.

To suppress this practice, the government continues to strengthen prevention policies by placing marriage dispensation as a last resort.

This approach is designed to ensure that child rights protection remains a top priority, while preventing the long-term impact of child marriage on their health, psychological condition, education, and future.

Deputy for Child Rights Fulfillment at the Ministry of Empowerment of Women and Child Protection Pribudiarta Nur Sitepu stated

"Child marriage cannot be normalized under any circumstances because it violates children's rights and has a direct impact on the survival, growth and development, as well as the future of children," he said.

The Ministry of Empowerment of Women and Child Protection (KemenPPPA) emphasized that the state has an obligation to prevent child marriage, as well as to provide maximum protection for children who have already been in that situation. Tightening the marriage dispensation is an important part of the prevention strategy based on the best interests of the child.

The mechanism for marriage dispensation is regulated in the Supreme Court Regulation Number 5 of 2019 concerning Guidelines for Handling Marriage Exemption Applications. This regulation requires judges not only to examine the completeness of the administration, but also to assess the overall readiness of the child before making a decision.

In the trial process, the judge is obliged to listen to the child's voice, ensure that consent is given consciously without coercion, and assess the psychological readiness, physical and mental health conditions, to the social and economic background of the child and his family.

The effort is being carried out amid a trend of declining child marriage rates nationally. Data from the Central Statistics Agency shows that child marriage rates have dropped from 6.92 percent in 2023 to 5.90 percent in 2024, surpassing the target of the 2024 National Medium-Term Development Plan of 8.74 percent.

However, the practice of child marriage still occurs in a number of areas, including in the form of unregistered marriages. This condition still has serious impacts, especially for girls who are in the most vulnerable position.

From a psychological perspective, marriage at a young age is considered to bring great pressure. Child and family psychologist Samanta Elsener, MPsi assessed that marriage at a young age is at high risk of triggering conflicts and dissatisfaction in the household. He explained that the prefrontal cortex function of children, which plays a role in decision-making, impulse control, and emotional regulation, has not yet developed optimally.

This condition makes children more vulnerable to making impulsive decisions and having difficulty managing conflicts. Independence has not yet been formed, so household needs are often still dependent on parents or families.

This results in the satisfaction in marriage being at a higher risk, experiencing disappointment compared to happiness.

A similar view was expressed by child and adolescent psychologist Mariska Johana, MPsi. He said that children and adolescents are still in the development phase of identity, strengthening social functions, and learning decision-making. Meanwhile, marriage requires the ability to regulate emotions, empathy, communication, and mature conflict management.

Therefore, neurologically, the ability to plan long-term and consider new risks develops optimally in the mid-twenties. The mismatch between the demands of marriage and this developmental readiness often causes difficulties in resolving conflicts, ineffective communication, excessive jealousy, and aggressive behavior.

Additional pressures, such as economic demands, relationships with the couple's families, parenting roles, and social expectations, also increase the risk of psychological stress, anxiety, depression, a sense of being trapped, and the emergence of unhealthy relationships, including domestic violence.

Psychologists assess that the decision to marry early is not standing alone, but is born from a wider nurturing ecosystem. The low literacy of parents about adolescent development, the lack of dialogue space in the family, and the non-optimal fulfillment of emotional needs make children vulnerable to seeing marriage as a way out.

In terms of child protection, Plan Indonesia Executive Director Dini Widiastuti emphasized that child marriage is a violation of the law, as stipulated in Law Number 16 of 2019 which sets the minimum age for marriage at 19 years for both men and women.

Child marriage is a form of violence against children because it directly violates children's rights to grow, get an education, live healthy, and determine their own future.

The impact of child marriage includes dropping out of school, high-risk pregnancies, increased maternal and infant mortality, stunting, and prolonged economic dependence. Data from the National Socioeconomic Survey shows that girls who marry before the age of 18 have four times lower chances of completing higher secondary education.

Plan Indonesia also noted that child marriage is projected to cause economic losses of up to 1.7 percent of gross domestic product. This condition strengthens the circle of intergenerational poverty and hinders human resource development.

Plan Indonesia has the GEMA CITA program in West Nusa Tenggara, West Java, and East Nusa Tenggara in 2021 to 2024. This program involves adolescents as peer educators, policy advocates, and community partners to reduce child marriage and adolescent pregnancy.

The program is also believed to strengthen the reporting mechanism at the village level and accompany children and families in the marriage dispensation process through the Court Friend initiative. This approach is considered to help ensure that the decisions made are in the best interests of the child.

Meanwhile, Executive Director of the Rifka Annisa Women's Crisis Center, Indiah Wahyu Andari, said child marriage caused more losses for children, families, and society.

Child marriage is detrimental in terms of health, psychological, social, and economic.

This is because children's reproductive organs are not mature, increasing the risk of pregnancy disorders, sexually transmitted diseases, to maternal and child mortality. From a psychological perspective, children are also considered not ready to take on the role of a spouse and parent, which has the potential to trigger stress, depression, and suboptimal parenting. Economically, child marriage often occurs when individuals are not independent, so they are at risk of becoming a burden on the family.

Regarding the parenting factor, the decision to get married early is closely related to the parenting pattern of parents. Children who grow up in a permissive family or who normalize child marriage tend to consider this practice as a normal thing.

Neglectful parenting that ignores the emotional needs of children also encourages the decision to get married at an early age. Children who feel less cared for are more vulnerable to seeking security and attention from outside the home, including through marriage.