Ministry Of Religion: Official Marriage Is Not Old Enough, Must Be Rejected By KUA

Illustration of a card or marriage book. (Antanews)

Spokesperson for the Ministry of Religion (Kemenag) RI Sunanto emphasized that the Office of Religious Affairs (KUA) does not serve early marriage or underage marriages that are not in accordance with the provisions of the law.

He conveyed this when asked about the news of an early marriage that was being discussed by the public on social media.

"If (the marriage) is officially rejected, if it is official, yes. If the official marriage is not old enough, it must be rejected [KUA]. It means that no one is officially married," Sunanto told reporters after attending a media gathering in Jakarta, Monday, October 7, confiscated by Antara.

It is known that Article 7 paragraph (1) of Law (UU) Number 16 of 2019 concerning Marriage regulates that the minimum limit for men and women getting married is at the age of 19.

However, in the second paragraph of the article it is stated that in the event of irregularities in the provisions of age as referred to in paragraph (1), the parents of the male and/or the parents of the female party can ask for dispensation from the Religious Court for very urgent reasons accompanied by sufficient supporting evidence.

What is meant by irregularities is that it can only be done through submitting a dispensation application by the parents of one or both parties of the prospective bride and groom to the Religious Court for those who are Muslim and the district court for others, if the male and female parties are under 19 years old.

Meanwhile, what is meant by "a very urgent reason" is that there is no other choice and marriage must be carried out.

Then, Article 7 paragraph (3) of the Marriage Law states that the provision of dispensation by the Religious Court is obliged to listen to the opinions of the two bride and groom who will have a marriage.

Dispensation from the Religious Court for those who are Muslim and the District Court for those who are other religions is known to be given based on the spirit of preventing child marriage, moral, religious, traditional and cultural considerations, psychological aspects, health aspects, and the impacts caused.