Govt to Broaden Efforts to End Practice of Child Marriage in Indonesia

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com – The Indonesian government is intensifying socialization efforts to end the practice of child marriages in the country.

Indonesian Minister of Women Empowerment and Child Protection I Gusti Bintang Puspayoga urged all stakeholders improve measures to stop the practice of child marriage in Indonesia while noting that her ministry cannot do it alone.

The government has listed reducing the number of child marriages in the country as one of the priority issues to tackle for the 2020–2024 period.

“We can only achieve this goal by working together involving the central government, regional government, non-governmental organizations, business community, schools, families, and social groups. We must all come together to better socialize and prevent child marriages.”

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The rate of child marriage in Indonesia grew during the coronavirus pandemic, Bintang said, noting that this helps explain the worrying statistics in the number of children dropping out of schools.

A report from the Indonesian Religious Court listed nearly 34,000 requests for marriage dispensation of child brides under the age of 19 between January and June 2020.

“This should be worrying for all of us. We must keep working to reduce the number of marriages among children.”

The minister also emphasized the Indonesian government’s commitment to protecting its youths during the coronavirus pandemic especially with regards access to education.

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