Hidayat Nur Wahid: Indonesia’s Moral Emergency, Beware of Potential of Child Deviant Behavior and Potential Hazard to Children
Depok – Vice Chairman of the People’s Consultative Assembly (Majelis Permusyawaratan Rakyat—MPR) Hidayat Nur Wahid (HNW) attended the invitation to give a keynote speech in the National Seminar on the theme of Early Marriage (From the Perspective of Legal, Psychology, Health and Family Resilience) held by Faculty of Law Universitas Indonesia (FHUI), at Djokosoetono Auditorium, FHUI, Depok Campus, West Java, Thursday (5/7/2018).
The speakers on the national seminar among others are Civil Private Law Lecturer Dr. Ahmad Budi Cahyono, Professor of Family Resilience IPB Euis Sunarti, Lecturer of Psychology UGM Yogyakarta Dr. Bagus Riyono and youth observer Dr. Murod, SPOG(K). This national seminar was attended by participants of FHUI lecturers, FHUI students, and also students of other faculties in UI.
In his keynote speech, HNW revealed that the selection of the theme of early marriage discourses analyzed from the perspective of law, psychology, health and family resilience is very worth talking about because, the discourse is not only a polemic in the community, but also become a reality.
“In the Indonesian context, early marriage is a marriage between a couple or one of the underage couples usually under the age of 18,” he said.
HNW disclosed, there are indeed several cases related to early marriage but at the same time in the context of Indonesia, and this is rarely a special concern is that many children who become ‘adults’ in their sexual behavior. In fact, these children do not possess complete understanding about their sexual organs, as well as problems and impacts of their sexual behavior.
With the lack of understanding, plus children watch various media and spectacles which lead to a false and negative understanding of sexuality, there have been many cases of sexual crimes committed by children themselves or they become the victim of sexual offenses. For example, in many mass media, it is reported that there are many cases of sexual crimes such as junior high school children who impregnate their friends, elementary school children who commit sexual crimes to their friends, pedophiles and there are other many sexual crimes that victimize children.
“Apparently, when compared to cases of early marriage, cases of sexual crimes committed or that occurred to underage children, I think latter is more common than the case of early marriage. This is very heartbreaking. In fact, seeing the number of such cases, Chairman of MUI KH. Ma’ruf Amin said that Indonesia is currently undergoing moral and attitude emergency. This should be taken more seriously by all of us,” he said.
Actually, continued HNW, moral and attitude emergency should not exist if this nation holds strong to the values of religion. In fact, the 1945 Constitution of the Republic of Indonesia states clearly that it emphasizes the sides of moral, faith and attitude in social life.
In the 1945 Constitution Article 31 Paragraph (3) clearly reads, the Government seeks and organizes a national education system, which enhances faith and piety and noble morality in order to educate the life of the nation as governed by the law and Article 31 paragraph (5) reads, the Government promotes science and technology by upholding the values of religion and national unity for the advancement of civilization and the welfare of mankind.
“All is clearly stated in the Constitution on the purpose of national education, with the aim to improve faith, piety and noble attitude in order to educate the life of the nation,” he added.
HNW asserted it is necessary to engage all elements of society in a cooperation to keep the nation’s children from sexual crimes and misconceptions about sexuality. “I deeply appreciate the various efforts such as discussions, workshops, studies and national seminars of various elements of society such as what FHUI cares about the phenomenon surrounding children, among others are children’s education, public spectacles that have negative impact on children, to the case of early marriage for the future of the nation’s children,” he said.
