Child marriage has become one important issue at the National Women Assembly on Saturday (20/4), characterized by detailed discussion and recommendations. Child marriage is a marriage that involves individuals below or at age of 19. The number of child marriage is increasing

Data from the Ministry of Women Empowerment and Child Protection and National Women Rights Commission shows that there are increasing number of court decisions regarding marriage exemption between 2019 and 2019. Average child marriage is 8.64% nationally between 2020 and 2023.

There are four related key points. The grassroots women attending the Assembly have conducted a joint analysis and come up with the following points.
1. There is limited access to sexual and reproductive health and rights education and minimum education infrastructure in remote and border areas.
2. There remains low participation of community leaders, traditional leaders, and religious leaders in information dissemination about prevention of child marriage, and equally minimum space for evaluation and control with regards to marriage exemption policy.
3. Monitoring by external forum and civil society organisations and/or communities remains weak regarding the implementation of the national strategy for women empowerment and child protection – in terms of the integration of child marriage issue into government regulations and national, provincial and district mid-term development plans.
4. A child who is married at the age of 19 or below, particularly girls, have not participated in government program unless they are victims of violence.

Marriage involving a child and/or an individual at or below 19 years old results from the following:
1. Direct Factor (within family) – a child is viewed as an asset, and child marriage is a way to reduce the burden on the family;
2. Lack of parents’ knowledge about sexual and reproductive health, unwanted pregnancy, and the impacts of child marriage;
3. Indirect effects on the community – stigma of being a single old woman, and in relations to local tradition, favours early marriage as a form of religious devotion. Child marriage then becomes a trend whereby early marriage is favourable. At the State level, there is a regulation for marriage exemption, coupled with weak monitoring and sub-optimum government roles, and lack of education infrastructure particularly in relations to sexual and reproductive health.

The grassroots communities would like to see rapid reduction in marriages involving children and individuals at and/or below the age of 19 years old. The recommendations are:
1. Increase parents’ roles in education within the family, particularly with regards to family with a perspective on gender, equality, disability, social, inclusion (GEDSI), sexual and reproductive health, and impacts of child marriage;
2. Expand accessibility to adequate infrastructure and knowledge about sexual and reproductive health;
3. Support women participation, increase job opportunities and business opportunities for poor families and in remote and border areas; and
4. Prepare implementation and monitoring-evaluation for regulation, policies, programs and budget. (Astuti)