Blitar Regency Government Receives 108 Underage Marriage Applications

PIXABAY ILLUSTRATION

BLITAR - The Blitar Regency Government, East Java, received 108 applications for marriage dispensation because they were underage.

Head of the Blitar Regency Women's Empowerment, Child Protection, Population Control and Family Planning (DP3AP2KB) Hakam Indoro stated that the application for marriage dispensation as many as 108 was recorded until May 2023.

"As of May 2023, those who have entered us have asked for an assessment of the child's marriage dispensation of 108 applicants. Of the 108 applicants, some were granted and some were rejected," said Hakam, quoted by ANTARA, Wednesday, May 31.

From the incoming data, the average applicant is from 13 years to 18 years old. There is approximately 13 percent for the percentage age under 17 years old.

The number of submissions this year is also high. Throughout 2022, there were 168 applications for marriage dispensation. Meanwhile, for 2023, there are still 108 applications in May 2023.

He said, from the reports that came in, there were various reasons that were proposed for the dispensation of marriage, for example because they had dropped out of school until they became pregnant first.

"These are various reasons. One of the applicants dropped out of school, then they were pregnant first so they asked to get married," he said.

Meanwhile, regarding whether the decision was granted or not, Hakam said that his party had conducted an assessment related to the incoming report.

Of the 108 applicants, it is known that 37 marriage dispensation applications were refused for recommendations by the district government. However, their decision can be married or not in a religious court.

In PMA 20 of 2019 it has been explained that for prospective male brides who have not yet reached the age of 19, they must receive a dispensation for child marriage from the local Religious Court Office.

"So, from the results of the assessment, some were granted and some were not. These are the files later as requirements submitted to the religious court. Then, until the religious court the decision," he said.

His party also continues to aggressively provide education to the public. This step is also an effort to reduce the number of underage marriages.

The Ministry of Women's Empowerment and Child Protection (KemenPPPA) is also aggressively involved in the high number of child marriages. The case of child marriage in Indonesia is considered very worrying.

From data from religious courts on the application for dispensation of child marriage, in 2021 there were 65 thousand cases and in 2022 55 thousand submissions were recorded.

The application for marriage at the age of children is mostly due to the factor that the applicant for women is pregnant first and the encouragement factor for parents who want their child to get married immediately because they already have close friends or are dating.

The Ministry of PPPA considers that the high rate of child marriage is one of the threats to the fulfillment of children's basic rights.

Not only does it have a physical and psychological impact on children, marriages at the age of children can also exacerbate poverty, stunting, dropping out of school to the threat of cervical cancer / uterine cancer in children.