Marriage Rules For A Maximum Of 19 Years, Marriage Dispensation In Bogor Soars

Illustration of a wedding in the middle of a pandemic. (Unsplash-Echo Saputera)

BOGOR - Control of early marriage before 19 years is intensified in the city of Bogor. For the success of the program, the Bogor Religious Court cooperates with the City Government (Pemkot) and the local Ministry of Religion (Kemenag).

Head of the IA Bogor Religious Court Office, Nasrul, said that the effort was a follow-up to the many requests for dispensation for marriage after the issuance of Law of the Republic of Indonesia Number 16 of 2019 concerning Amendments to Law Number 1 of 1974 concerning Marriage.

"This marriage dispensation can be interpreted as early marriage, so to prevent it as much as possible, don't get married before 19 years," he said in Bogor City, West Java, quoted from Antara, Sunday, August 14.

He explained, after Law No. 16 of 2019 concerning marriage was enacted, there were more and more requests for dispensation for marriage because the age limit was increased from 16 years in the previous law, now it must be 19 years, both male and female prospective brides.

For teenagers who are urgently married at the age of 16 to 18 years, the regulations in the current Marriage Law may be recognized by the state by requesting a marriage dispensation.

The application must be made with the consent of both the parents of the bride and groom. Dispensation may be submitted to the Religious Courts for prospective Muslim brides.

Currently, said Nasrul, there have been around 50 cases of marriage dispensation in Bogor City.

Nasrul hopes that the agreement to control early marriage with the City Government and the Ministry of Religion of Bogor City will educate the public so that more people understand and there will be no more requests for dispensation for marriage.

In it there are a number of agreement activities, ranging from conducting health checks at the Public Health Center, conducting counseling with psychology at the DP3A so that teenagers do not go to religious courts for marriage dispensation by understanding the rules and consequences of young marriage.

"If it remains to the religious court, we will hear the reason, if it is an emergency, we will also accept it," he said.