There is a middle-aged couple sitting on the porch of their house, enjoying their time with their cute and well-behaved grandchild whom the wife is carrying. The husband is also playing with the child. This lovely child is actually their first grandchild, the child of Nawang (not her real name) who has been married for a year to Jaka (not his real name). At the time of their marriage, Nawang was only 16 years old and Jaka was 18 years old. Nawang had not even started high school at the time, while Jaka had already graduated.



The reason behind their marriage is quite typical in Indonesia, where couples get married early due to unwanted pregnancies, and they are usually married by their parents. There are also those who get married early to avoid fornication. This is the case with Kunti (not her real name), who recently got married to Pandu (not his real name). Kunti is only 16 years old, while Pandu is already 22 years old, and they got married last September 2022.


Pandu works as a cattle farmer, while Kunti is a housewife. Although they are still young, they are grateful that their financial situation is sufficient for their daily needs. However, there are negative impacts of getting married at a young age, such as Kunti having to quit school. Therefore, getting married young is not always as beautiful as portrayed in soap operas.


It seems that the trend of early marriage is increasing in Tulungagung. Every year, there is an increasing number of marriage dispensation applications (Diska), especially after the age limit for marriage for women was raised to 19. However, the number of marriage dispensation applications keeps increasing rapidly, despite the goal of reducing early marriage.


According to the data from the Information System for Case Tracking (SIPP) of the Religious Court of Tulungagung Regency, in 2020, the number of Diska applications increased two-fold from the previous year. From the Diska application data in 2021, the top five subdistricts with the highest number of Diska applications were Sendang, Pagerwojo, Rejotangan, and Kalidawir.


When asked why many people get married at a young age, the Head of the Office of Religious Affairs (KUA) in Sendang Subdistrict, Jauhari, stated that the majority of people who do not continue their education to a higher level tend to get married at an early age. Early marriage has even become a common and deep-rooted practice in the local community.


In addition to the factor of early marriage being considered acceptable, economic factors and free association also contribute to the increased number of early marriages in Tulungagung. Dropping out of school is also one of the dominant factors that drive early marriage among people in all subdistricts of Tulungagung regency in 2021. This is closely related to the economic issues of the community because dropping out of school can increase the unemployment rate.


Hopefully, increasing access to education and raising awareness of the negative impacts of early marriage can help reduce the number of early marriages in Tulungagung.


The Link between Child Marriage, Unemployment, and Poverty

There is bad news coming from Tulungagung Regency, my friends. According to data from the Central Statistics Agency (BPS), the number of unemployed people has increased from 2017 to 2021, with the highest increase occurring in 2020 as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. As a result, the number of people living in poverty has also increased, and this has been a contributing factor to the high number of marriage dispensation requests in the area.


Have you ever heard of child marriage? It is when children who are below the legal age get married. Well, this also happens in Tulungagung, and economic factors are one of the reasons. Some get married because of parents' illnesses or to change their family's economic status, for example.


However, child marriage has the potential to cause new social problems such as domestic violence, divorce, and child neglect. Economic factors are also affected by child marriage because underage couples are not ready for economic issues.


It is essential to prevent unemployment and poverty in our area. Besides potentially damaging the economy, it can also affect social and moral aspects of society. Let's support our region's development with positive and long-term impact solutions!


Child marriage is a severe issue in Indonesia, but the Tulungagung Regency government is working hard to tackle it! One of the efforts made is to socialize about the dangers of child marriage to the public. The Head of the Subdistrict Office of Religious Affairs and the Office for Women's Empowerment and Child Protection have conducted socialization to religious leaders, students, and parents. They also provide education on healthy social media use, developmental growth in the digital era, reproductive health, the effects of premarital sex, underage marriage, and narcotics.


However, unemployment and poverty are also factors affecting child marriage. Therefore, the Tulungagung Regency government has implemented programs to combat unemployment and poverty, such as the development of Integrated Child Social Protection Services Units, the expansion and strengthening of job training programs, the construction of toilets for the poor, and the development of women's cooperatives. In addition, the Social Affairs Office updates social assistance recipient data or the Integrated Social Welfare Data (DTKS) and provides technical guidance on DTKS management and social assistance programs.


With these efforts, child marriage can be prevented and poverty can be fought in Tulungagung Regency!


Original Source: Gagalnya Pengentasan Pengangguran dan Kemiskinan Picu Pernikahan Dini di Tulungagung | DIMëNSI (dimensipers.com)