Momentum to Strengthen the Movement

ANTARA FOTO/Novrian Arbi

A number of female activists and residents participated in the 2018 Women\'s March action in the Dago area, Dago, Bandung, West Java, Sunday (4/3). The action carried out on the occasion of International Women\'s Day every March 8 was carried out to raise awareness against gender-based injustice, end child marriage, and end violence against women.

JAKARTA, KOMPAS — Kartini\'s struggle more than a century ago was to free women from all forms of injustice to enable them to choose and determine their future. The commemoration of Kartini Day is a moment to continue her struggle, and one way to do that is to strengthen the movement against child marriage.

Efforts to protect girls from becoming victims of child marriage should be much stronger than during the Kartini era, when many lived in the shackles of colonialism and feudalism.

"Kartini established a school for girls from the common people to receive education that would lead to a change in the way of thinking to be more critical, so that one day they would become autonomous in determining their lives," Misiyah, the director of the Women\'s Alternative Education Circle (Kapal), said in Jakarta on Tuesday (20/4/2021).

Also read: Stop Child Marriage

The special aspect of Kartini\'s struggle was fighting against colonization of women\'s bodies which at that time was carried out through pingitan (seclusion), marriage and forced matchmaking. Today, this struggle remains relevant, for example in stopping child marriage.

Apart from mobilizing grassroots women movements for girls\' schools to prevent child marriage, Kapal Perempuan also encourages village heads and local governments to issue policies on preventing child marriage.

Also read: Early Marriage Puts Lives at Risk

During the Covid-19 pandemic, the campaign to stop child marriage has been intensified through the Covid-19 Emergency Alert Women\'s Radio in remote areas, including Sabutung Island, Pangkajene regency, South Sulawesi; and Sukadana village, North Lombok regency, West Nusa Tenggara.

KOMPAS/ISMAIL ZAKARIA

A mother holding her child on the sidelines of the Inauguration of the Covid-19 Emergency Women\'s School Radio "Nina Bayan" in Sukadana Village, Bayan, North Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara, Thursday (15/4/2021). Apart from broadcasting various information about Covid-19, the radio is also a campaign medium to prevent child marriage in North Lombok.

Various regulations

Numerous measures have been carried out to prevent child marriage. At the end of 2019, through Law No. 16 of 2019 on the amendment of Law No. 1 of 1974 on marriage, the minimum age for marriage for women was changed from 16 years to 19 years (making it the same as the age for men).

At the beginning of 2020, National Development Planning Minister/Head of the National Development Planning Agency Suharso Monoarfa, together with Women\'s Empowerment and Child Protection (PPPA) Minister I Gusti Ayu Bintang Darmawati, launched the National Strategy for the Prevention of Child Marriage as a guide for the government down to the village level.

Realizing that child marriage continues to occur, the women\'s empowerment and child protection minister relaunched in January 2020 the Joint Movement to Stop Child Marriage, which was initiated by the Ministry in 2017.

Also read: If Only the Clock Could be Turned Back

"The prevention of child marriage is one of the five orders of the President, which will be the main goal of the PPPA Ministry until 2024," said Bintang.

In addition to collaborating with various institutions/organizations and civil society organizations, the Women\'s Empowerment and Child Protection Ministry also invites religious organizations to prevent child marriage. Together with the Indonesian Ulema Council, the Women\'s Empowerment and Child Protection Ministry declared a National Movement for the Maturity of the Marriage Age. "We involve children in preventing child marriage by encouraging children to become pioneers and reporters or P2P," said Bintang.

The prevention of child marriage is one of the five orders of the President, which will be the main goal of the PPPA Ministry until 2024

At the regional level, various regulations have been issued by regional governments on the prevention of child marriage. In 2014, for example, then-governor of West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) Muhammad Zainul Majdi issued a circular on marriage maturity which recommends a minimum age of marriage for men and women at 21 years. At the end of January of 2021, the NTB Legislative Council (DPRD) passed a regional regulation on the prevention and child marriage.

KOMPAS/MACHRADIN WAHYUDI RITONGA

The women of RW 13, Cipaku Village, Paseh District, Bandung Regency, listened to a discussion about the adverse effects of child marriage, Saturday (17/4/2021) at the residence of the Chairman of RW 13.

At the regency level, East Lombok and West Lombok issued regional regulations regarding the prevention of child marriage. East Lombok regency secretary Muhammad Juani Taufik said 257 villages in East Lombok had a regional bylaw (Perda) on the matter.

Efforts to prevent child marriage were also carried out by national and regional children\'s forums. "We are [warning of] the dangers of child marriage through social media," said Tristania Faisa Adam, the chairperson of the National Children’s Forum.

We met the children who were about to get married and explained the impact. That made them cancel their marriage plans.

At the regional level, the Pandawa Children Forum in Pandan Wangi village, Jerowaru district, NTB, is actively preventing child marriage. The chairperson of the Pandawa Children’s Forum, Cindy Purnama Putri, 16, said they had handled 13 cases of planned child marriage in 2020. "We met the children who were about to get married and explained the impact. That made them cancel their marriage plans,” she said.

Seeing the severe repercussions of child marriage, Anna Surti Ariani, the chairperson of the Jakarta branch of the Indonesian Clinical Psychologists Association, urged the government to be stricter in regulating child marriage. Dispensation of marriage needs to be limited, including fines for those who apply for the dispensation of marriage.

Also read: More Child Marriages Requested in Pandemic

In addition, the youth community or circle also needs to be empowered to be able to accommodate youth with positive activities. It helps teenagers not to see marriage as the only solution to life\'s problems.

Executive Director of the Plan International Indonesia Foundation Dini Widiastuti emphasized the importance of sexuality education, especially in educational units. According to an education officer of the United Nations Children\'s Fund Indonesia Office (Unicef Indonesia), Anissa Elok Budiyani, education on sexuality and reproductive health minimizes risky behavior and prevents child marriage. (ZAK/MZW/MED/SON)

This article was translated by Hyginus Hardoyo.