435 Children In Bojonegoro Apply For Marriage Dispensation, 80 Of Them Are Pregnant First

Illustration of early marriage (ANTARA)

BOJONEGORO - The Religious Court (PA) of Bojonegoro Regency, East Java noted that until November 2023, as many as 435 children applied for a marriage dispensation (discount) and of this number, about 80 children applied for a scale for reasons of pregnancy first. PA singer Bojonegoro Solikin Jamik revealed, in addition to reasons for pregnancy outside of marriage, other factors that caused early marriage were due to the low level of education and economic background of the children.

Most of those who marry underage are only elementary or junior high school graduates. Those who apply for a marriage dispensation mostly come from areas that fall into the category of areas with a high poverty rate. Only a few graduate from high school," said Panitera PA Bojonegoro, Solikin Jamik, Monday, December 18. According to Solikin, on average, parents of prospective brides apply for a scale for their children because they have no other choice due to economic difficulties.

Ironically, many early marriages lead to divorce. This can be seen from the number of underage couples returning to PA Bojonegoro to file for divorce. "Most of the reasons for parents are like that, there is no other choice and in order to maintain the good name of the family. This can also cause other social problems. The poverty rate can get worse," said Solikin.