Rector: religious and community leaders are expected to break the tradition of child marriage

Rectorate, UIN News Online – Rector of UIN Jakarta Amany Lubis hopes that religious and community leaders can work together in breaking the tradition of child marriage in Indonesia.

This was said by Amany during interactive dialogue entitled “Pencegahan Perkawinan Anak dalam Pandangan Lintas Agama”, organized by the Indonesian Ministry of Women's Empowerment and Child Protection, Tuesday (04/20/2021).

Amany said that the rate of child marriage in Indonesia is still relatively high. A number of regions such as West Sulawesi, South Kalimantan, Central Kalimantan, West Kalimantan and Central Sulawesi have a fairly high rate of child marriage. Geographically, the number of child marriages is dominated by people in rural areas by circumventing the legal minimum age of marriage.

“There are still many who apply for marriage permits. Request dispensation (for child marriage, ed.). This indicates the need for concerted efforts by all religious and community leaders to prevent child marriage,” said Rector Amany.

Furthermore, she continued, sharia law itself requires that the marriage be carried out when the bride and groom meet the Isytatho'a requirements. This requirement can be understood as the ability and readiness of the bride and groom physically, mentally, spiritually, morally, socially and culturally.

“In short, isytatho'a can be interpreted as the mental-spiritual readiness of a couple to get married,” she said.

This requirement, she explained, corrects the arguments of understanding by some circles by making the boundaries of baligh in the form of a wet dream for boys and menstruation for girls. According to Amany, baligh should be as a phase where everyone begins to be subject to religious obligations (taklif), not as a basis for one's readiness to perform marriages. (usa/zm)