Jakarta – The Indonesian Child Protection Commission (KPAI) said on Thursday that underage marriages, which were often caused by poverty and lack of education, should be prevented at all costs.
Respected religious leaders must raise awareness in their communities about the ill effects of underage marriages, the commission said in a discussion on underage marriages at the commission office.
Religious leaders need to bring up this issue, especially in rural areas where underage marriages are common practice, said KPAI commissioner Susilahati.
Aisyah Aminy, an official from the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI), argued that punishing the individuals responsible for performing the illegal ceremonies was one way to stop underage marriages.
"The MUI has proposed a bill at the religious court that regulates this punishment," she said.
Susilahati added that many underage brides or grooms used fake identity cards to fulfill the Marriage Law age requirement of 16 and 19 years old respectively. "Therefore, cracking down on forged identity cards can also help prevent underage marriages," she said.
But underage marriages were also caused by other deeper social problems, Susilahati said, such as the lack of education and poverty.
"Underage girls living in rural areas whose parents are too poor to pay for their education are often married quickly," she said. "The girls think that getting married is their best option. Most of them cannot see any other alternative."
Without a higher education, she said, the young girls are not be able to get good jobs. If they look for work in the cities without qualification, they risk being mistreated or taken advantage of. "It is a dilemma," she said.
Susilahati cited the case of Pujiono Cahyono Widianto and his underage wife Lutfiana Ulfa as an example of poverty-driven marriage.
"The KPAI found out Ulfa has participated in a contest organized by Puji to choose his second wife," she said. "Puji promised the winner of the competition that she would control his company." Ulfa quite possibly viewed marriage as the best option to secure a good future, Susilahati said.
Underage marriages are widespread in Indonesia. The National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas) reported that in 2008, about 34.5 percent of the two million marriage ceremonies held each year involved underage brides or grooms.
Bappenas said East Java had the highest percentage of underage marriages followed by South Kalimantan and West Java.
The KPAI chairman Hadi Supeno said underage marriages also led to many other social problems. "I believe underage marriages can lead to a high divorce rate, a high maternal mortality rate, abortion, a high infant mortality rate, and many other problems," said Hadi.
He added that girls under the age of 18 were not strong enough to give birth. Therefore, many of them would die in the process. They might not know how to care for their babies, leading to a high rate of infant mortality.
Many underage marriages end in divorces, she said, often because of the children's unstable psychological condition.
"They are not ready to take the commitment of marriage seriously. Yet, in Indonesia, we can find many girls divorced at the age of fifteen," Susilahati said. "There are a number of married and divorced teens who already have children." (mrs)