Book Launch: Young Marriage in Indonesia
The Field of Study of Society and Development Law in the Faculty of Law Universitas Indonesia held a Seminar to Launch a book namely “Young Marriage in Indonesia: Voice, Law and Practice” on Monday, November 26, 2018 in the S & T Multimedia Room FHUI, UI Depok Campus.
The book launch was attended by the Ambassador of Canada to Indonesia H.E. Peter Mac Arthur with Prof. Dr. Siti Musdah Mulia, M.A. (Professor of Syarif Hidayatullah UIN), Prof. Adrian Bedner (Professor of Leiden Law School), Nyai Hj. Afwah Mumtazah M. Pd.I (Director of the Fahmina Institute of Islamic Studies) and Prof. Dr. Dra. Sulistyowati Irianto, MA. as a speaker.
In her presentation Prof. Dr. Siti Musdah Mulia, M.A. and Hj. Afwah Mumtazah M. Pd.i conveyed one of the causes of young marriages due to unplanned pregnancies or poverty factors, as we know the majority of people still adhere to a culture that thinks having a daughter is a long-term investment so that when they have economic problems, marrying their children is the fastest solution. In addition, religious factors also become the basis for people to marry young on the grounds that they can avoid out of wedlock sexual relationship, hadiths that recount the marriage between the Prophet Muhammad and Aisyah as well as the obligation of parents to marry their come-of-age children (Baligh) and mature (Rusyd) who are often wrong . That, in fact, Baliqh and Rusyd means not just biological changes but also mature in mental and financial.
In fact, young marriage is at the root of social problems such as resulting in higher school dropouts, poverty, divorce, domestic violence and Trafficking. Getting married so young also has a risk to the health of women due to immaturity of reproductive and psychological functions.
