jpnn.com, LOMBOK TENGAH - During the Covid-19 pandemic, the rate of underage or early childhood marriages in Central Lombok regency, West Nusa Tenggara, has increased.
This can be seen from the number of married couples that apply for a marriage dispensation at the Praya Religious Court that has reached hundreds.
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"From January to November 2021, 297 minors have applied for a marriage dispensation," said the junior registrar at the court, Salman, Monday (8/11).
He said that not all of the couples were approved because in some cases, the bride and groom were too young, namely under 16 years old.
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He said that in such cases, both parties were asked to postpone their marriage.
"There were 260 people that were approved, and the rest were rejected because they were under 16 years old," he said.
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Initially, the minimum age for people to get married according to the law was 16, but a revision was made to Law Number 16/2019 that the minimum age for marriage is now 19 for both women and men.
"If you look at the cases that apply for a marriage dispensation, the number of child marriages during this pandemic has been quite high in Central Lombok," he said.
According to him, there are several factors that cause underage marriages, namely the lack of parental care for their children, environmental and economic factors, as well as early pregnancy.
"That’s what’s visible now after reviewing several cases of those filing for marriage dispensation," he said.
He also said cultural factors could sometimes lead to underage marriages. However, in such cases, his party would prefer mediation with both parties so that they could think twice to continue.
"As long as it's a positive thing to do, we'll try mediation or separation," said Salman.
Child marriages can lead to early divorce and stunting and other health related issues. Salman said that his party and the village government continued to disseminate information to prevent early marriages in Central Lombok.
He also appealed to parents to continue to supervise their children, pay close attention to them, and avoid giving them excessive freedom as children now had more time during offline learning.
"It’s uncertain when children will return school, so parents must be more vigilant in supervising their children," said Salman. (antara/mcr20/jpnn)
This news has been broadcast on JPNN.com with the title: Saat Pandemi COVID-19 Pernikahan Usia Dini Meningkat