Investing for the future – Children parade
in the opening of the 2016 Tangerang Children Festival in Cimone, Tangerang,
Banten, on Nov.17. (Antara/Lucky R.)
Child marriage is a national
crisis in Indonesia that continues to receive little attention both
domestically and globally, despite the country having the seventh-highest
number of child brides in the world. This reality has become even more stark in
light of a recent report launched by United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF)
which shows that rather than the number of child brides decreasing, which would
keep the country’s progress on the issue in line with many of its neighbors,
the numbers have actually plateaued.
This means that roughly 25 percent of girls are still
marrying often much older men before their 18th birthday.
So why is one the fastest developing countries in
Southeast Asia lagging behind its neighbors when it comes to rights of the
female children?
A considerable barrier to ending child marriage in
Indonesia is the deafening silence around the practice in the country, politically,
globally and nationally.
Child marriage is accepted by communities as part of
their social fabric, it seems to be a non-issue; its negative effects and
consequences are rarely discussed. UNICEF found that this silent crisis does
not amass in any one religious, provincial or ethnic group but is a national
problem spanning across geographic, economic and religious divides.
Poverty and tradition continue to drive the practice, but
with one in eight girls from high income countries married every year, it can
no longer be considered a problem that only besieges the rural poor.
Child marriage is also legal in Indonesia: the legal age
for marriage is 21 but girls can marry at 16 with parental consent, boys at 19.
Parents can also appeal to religious or district courts for exemptions to marry
off their daughters earlier than 16, with no minimum age limit. A recent study,
found that 95 percent of these applications for dispensation were approved.
At this age, girls are not mentally or physically ready
for marriage. Young girls and boys should be in school rather than pushed into
marriage due to fears of premarital sexual activity, tradition and poverty.
With just 8.9 percent of these married girls completing their upper secondary
education, it is undeniable that marriage is limiting girls’ education
prospects and economic opportunities as well as putting them at risk of
pregnancyrelated health problems and domestic violence.
So, what is being done to end child marriage in
Indonesia? In 2015, Indonesia became a signatory to the new Sustainable
Development Goals, which includes a target to end child marriage.
New research, such as the recent report from UNICEF, also
suggests a renewed concern for child marriages in Indonesia, and this will
hopefully encourage further research and help support advocacy efforts both at
a community level and national level.
In 2015, we also saw a petition in Indonesia, led by a
national civil society group Koalisi 18+, to raise the minimum age for
marriage.
However, it was rejected from the constitutional court on
the grounds that it would encourage girls to engage in pre-marital sex.
Something considered intolerable by Indonesia’s largely conservative Islamic
elite.
Thankfully, Koalisi 18+ is continuing to advocate and
raise awareness about child marriage, but they cannot fight child marriage
alone. Momentum from civil society organizations to change the law and raise
community level awareness about the dangerous consequences of child marriage in
Indonesia is urgently needed.
This critical work also needs to be supported by
well-targeted funding from donors, as well as national and international
organizations.
Civil society actors must remain vocal about this
injustice and campaign for changes to a law which currently sanctions child marriage,
but we also need organizations to work with local communities to change social
norms.
A change in the law is needed and necessary, but it is
only the beginning. UNICEF has made several recommendations which are echoed by
Girls Not Brides’ members experience working to end child marriage around the
world.
Accessible quality education prevails as the most
important piece of this puzzle: girls who finish upper secondary education are
much less likely to be married at 16 or 17.
Sexual and reproductive health education is also crucial
to help girls advocate for their own rights. Civil society organizations must
also engage with local and religious community members to change attitudes
towards child marriage and girls at the grassroots level.
This crucially includes combating poverty to relieve the
economic burden that causes desperate parents to marry their daughters off.
Lastly, national, provincial, district and sub-district
governments need to target areas with highest incidences of child marriage, such
as West Sulawesi, and set a national precedent for the abolishment of this
damaging practice.
The national crisis confronting Indonesian girls is one
which can no longer be ignored. Action must be taken to put ending child
marriage on the national agenda.
The silence must be broken to protect thousands of girls
from vicious cycles of poverty, oppression and inequality.
Ultimately, an end to child marriage will unleash the
infinite potential of girls and create a more prosperous society for all.
Shipra Jha Senior advisor for Asia of
Girls Not Brides
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