Contract Marriage Rises In Cianjur, Ministry Of Religion: The Penghulunya Is Illegal, Please Report

JAKARTA - The Office of the Ministry of Religion (Kemenag) in Cianjur, West Java, appealed to residents to report the penghulu who served the contract marriage process who was not an official penghulu from the religious affairs office (KUA).

The General Functional Officer of the Ministry of Religion's Penghuluan, Cianjur Gumilar, said that the Penghulu is an ASN who works according to existing rules and will not violate the oath of office.

"If there is a penghulu who launches a contract marriage process, it is an illegal penghulu or P3N and does not have the authority to register and supervise marriages, please report it," he said when contacted, reported by Antara, Monday, June 14.

The penghulu of contract marriages, he said, are ordinary citizens who are made like the penghulu at an official wedding, so that the perpetrators of contract marriages seem to be justified even though they are not administratively recorded.

Even related to contract marriage cases, it has been regulated in Law number 22 of 1946 or Law number 1 of 1974 concerning marriage and PMA Number 20 of 2019 concerning Marriage Registration.

"Residents can report if there is a practice of contract marriage, including reporting the penghulunya because it can be legally charged," he said.

He said that the law states that anyone who marries or becomes a penghulu outside his authority can be punished in accordance with Law 22 of 1946 concerning marriage registration, divorce and reconciliation.

His party supports the prohibition of contract marriages that can harm and demean women, as outlined in the Regent's Regulation including strict and severe sanctions for contract marriage actors, including the head.