EARLY WEDDING CONTROVERSY: Legal, Psychological, Health and Family Resilience
Private Law Field of Study Faculty of Law Universitas Indonesia held a National Seminar with the theme: “Early Marriage Controversy: Legal, Psychological, Health and Family Resilience” on Thursday, July 5, 2018 at Djokosoetono Auditorium, Faculty of Law Universitas Indonesia, Depok.
As the main speaker Dr. H.M. Hidayat Nur Wahid, MA. (Vice Chairman of the People’s Consultative Assembly) was invited.
This national seminar examined the issues of early marriage in Indonesia according to legal, psychological, health and family resilience. The discussion presented five speakers, namely Dr. Akhmad Budi Cahyono, SH., MH (Civil Law Lecturer, FH UI), Prof. Dr. Ir. Euis Sunarti, M.Si (Professor of Family Resilience, IPB, Bogor), Dr. Bagus Riyono, MA (Lecturer of Psychology UGM, Yogyakarta), Dr. Murod, Sp.OG (K), MM (Youth Observer), and Neng Djubaedah, SH, MH, Ph.D. (Lecturer of Islamic Law, FHUI) and hosted by
Dr. Yeni Salma Barlinti, SH, MH (Lecturer of Islamic Law, FH UI).
According to the results of a research conducted by BKKBN in 2014, 46 percent or equivalent to 2.5 million marriages that occur in every year in Indonesia, the bride aged between 15 to 19 years old. Even 5% of them involved brides aged under 15 years old.
The high number of early marriages in Indonesia raises various problems that affect biological, social, and psychological factors and reproduction programs. Because the marriage is done at such a young age, often times the female reproductive organs are not ready, therefore it can cause pain, continuous sexual trauma, bleeding, miscarriage, even to the fatal, maternal deaths during childbirth.
There are several factors of the occurrence of early marriage, one of which is the factor of culture and tradition. In addition, the low level of education also causes people do not understand what the effects of early marriage are. Moreover, the majority of cases of early marriage is often the case among lower class society, where there is difficulty to access education and also the lack of attention of parents to the importance of education.
Another factor that causes the occurrence of early marriage is a promiscuity that affects the rise of free sex behavior among adolescents. This behavior occurs because it is influenced by internal and external factors that are mutually sustainable.
According to Neng Djubaedah, SH, MH, Ph.D. Early marriage happens not only because of poor sex education and promiscuity but due to religious and moral values that are not emphasized to the younger generation. Adolescents need not only formal education but also need education on religious and moral values.
Dr. Murod, Sp.OG (K), MM added that marriage is a solution but marriage needs to be managed multidimensional because marriage is the family seed that is the very foundation of civilization.
