Family Honor versus Child Protection: Legal Intervention in the Persistence of Child Marriage in Indonesian Communities
Keywords:
child marriage, legal intervention, child protection, family norms, IndonesiaAbstract
Child marriage persists in Indonesia despite legal reforms intended to raise the minimum marriage age and strengthen children's protection. In many communities, decisions to marry children are influenced by family honor, pregnancy outside marriage, economic hardship, religious interpretations, and concerns about social stigma. This article examines why formal legal intervention has not fully displaced the social practices that sustain child marriage and how law can respond more effectively to these underlying conditions. Through a socio-legal approach, the study explores the interaction between marriage regulation, child protection, family decision-making, community norms, and judicial mechanisms for marriage dispensation. The analysis argues that legal prohibition alone is insufficient when families and communities perceive early marriage as a legitimate solution to social and economic problems. The article contributes by shifting the analysis of child marriage from regulatory compliance toward the effectiveness of law as a form of social intervention. It proposes a multidimensional approach involving stricter judicial scrutiny, community-based prevention, reproductive and legal education, socioeconomic support, and child-centered decision-making. Such intervention is necessary to ensure that legal protection addresses not only the occurrence of child marriage but also the social structures that reproduce it.
References
Bhan, Nandita, Shubha Rao, and Suneeta Krishnan. 2019. “Are We Moving toward Gender Equality? A Review of Evidence on the Relationship between Gender Norms and Child Marriage.” Journal of Adolescent Health 64 (4): S20–S27.
Cameron, Lisa, Daniela Contreras Suarez, and Karon Wieczkiewicz. 2023. “Child Marriage and the Welfare of Young Women in Indonesia.” Journal of Population Economics 36: 1–33.
Corno, Lucia, Eliana La Ferrara, and Anna Voena. 2020. “Female Genital Cutting and the Schooling of Girls: Evidence from the Gambia.” Journal of Development Economics 143: 102402.
Efevbera, Yvette, and Jacqueline Bhabha. 2020. “Defining and Deconstructing Girl Child Marriage and Applications to Global Public Health.” BMC Public Health 20: 1547. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-020-09545-0.
Erulkar, Annabel. 2013. “Early Marriage, Marital Relations and Intimate Partner Violence among Adolescents and Young Women in Kenya.” Journal of Adolescent Health 52 (5): 582–588.
Fajriyah, Iklilah Muzayyanah Dini, Siti Marhamah, and Dan Septiani Anggriani. 2023. “The Pitfall of Child Marriage Dispensation: A Study of Court Judgments in East Java.” The Indonesian Journal of Socio-Legal Studies 2 (2). https://doi.org/10.54828/ijsls.2023v2n2.5.
Field, Erica, and Attila Ambrus. 2008. “Early Marriage, Age of Menarche, and Female Schooling Attainment in Bangladesh.” Journal of Political Economy 116 (5): 881–930.
Godha, Deepak, David R. Hotchkiss, and Abhishek J. Gage. 2013. “Association between Child Marriage and Reproductive Health Outcomes and Service Utilization: A Multi-Country Study from South Asia.” Journal of Adolescent Health 52 (5): 552–558.
Grijns, Mies, and Hoko Horii. 2018. “Child Marriage in a Village in West Java (Indonesia): Compromises between Legal Obligations and Religious Concerns.” Asian Journal of Law and Society 5 (2): 453–466. https://doi.org/10.1017/als.2018.9.
Hindin, Michelle J., Sunita Kishor, and Donna L. Ansara. 2008. Intimate Partner Violence among Couples in 10 DHS Countries: Predictors and Health Outcomes. DHS Analytical Studies 18. Calverton, MD: Macro International.
Horii, Hoko. 2019. “A Blind Spot in Legal Pluralism: The Case of Child Marriage in Indonesia.” The Journal of Legal Pluralism and Unofficial Law 51 (1): 1–20.
Ilhami, Haniah, Destri Budi Nugraheni, and Tata Wijayanta. 2023. “Child Protection Post the New Marriage Law: How Indonesian Religious Court Interpreting the Urgency in Child-Age Marriage.” Jurnal IUS Kajian Hukum dan Keadilan 11 (1). https://doi.org/10.29303/ius.v11i1.1054.
Ilhami, Haniah, Destri Budi Nugraheni, and Tata Wijayanta. 2023. “Child Protection Post the New Marriage Law: How Indonesian Religious Court Interpreting the Urgency in Child-Age Marriage.” Jurnal IUS Kajian Hukum dan Keadilan 11 (1). https://doi.org/10.29303/ius.v11i1.1054.
Jain, Saranga, and Kathleen Kurz. 2007. “New Insights on Preventing Child Marriage: A Global Analysis.” International Center for Research on Women Working Paper. Washington, DC: ICRW.
Jensen, Robert, and Rebecca Thornton. 2003. “Early Female Marriage in the Developing World.” Gender and Development 11 (2): 9–19.
Kamal, S. M. Mostafa, and Saiful Islam. 2010. “Early Marriage in Bangladesh: A Cross-Sectional Study.” Journal of Biosocial Science 42 (4): 499–513.
Kurniawan, and Refiasari. 2022. “The Urgency Requirement in Marriage Dispensation after the Amendment of the Marriage Law in Indonesia.” Jurnal Yudisial.
Kuswanto, Heri, Pratnya Paramitha Oktaviana, Ferry Efendi, Nelwati, and Hema Malini. 2024. “Prevalence of and Factors Associated with Female Child Marriage in Indonesia.” PLOS ONE 19 (7): e0305821. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0305821.
Lawson, David W., Rachel Lynes, Addison Morris, and Susan B. Schaffnit. 2020. “What Does the American Public Know about Child Marriage?” PLOS ONE 15 (9): e0238346. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0238346.
Liang, Mengjia, Sandile Simelane, Satvika Chalasani, and Rachel Snow. 2021. “New Estimations of Child Marriage: Evidence from 98 Low- and Middle-Income Countries.” PLOS ONE 16 (10): e0258378. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0258378.
Mensch, Barbara S., Susheela Singh, and John B. Casterline. 2005. “Trends in the Timing of First Marriage among Men and Women in the Developing World.” Population Studies 59 (3): 277–294.
Nasrullah, M., E. G. K. H. F. B. G. A. and colleagues. 2014. “Girl Child Marriage and Its Effect on Fertility and Maternal Health in Pakistan.” Journal of Adolescent Health 55 (6): 800–806.
Nour, Nawal M. 2009. “Child Marriage: A Silent Health and Human Rights Issue.” Reviews in Obstetrics and Gynecology 2 (1): 51–56.
Oktavia, R., A. Halim, and Islamiah. 2023. “Marriage Dispensation and Child Protection: Judicial Considerations in the Perspective of Children’s Rights.” Jurnal Hukum dan Peradilan.
Parsons, Jennifer, Jeffrey Edmeades, Aslihan Kes, Suzanne Petroni, Maggie Sexton, and Quentin Wodon. 2015. “Economic Impacts of Child Marriage: A Review of the Literature.” The Review of Faith & International Affairs 13 (3): 12–22.
Petroni, Suzanne, Maggie Steinhaus, Megan Fenn, Susan Stoebenau, and Neetu Gregowski. 2017. “New Findings on Child Marriage in Sub-Saharan Africa.” Annals of Global Health 83 (5–6): 781–790.
Raj, Anita, Niranjan Saggurti, Danil M. Balaiah, and Jay G. Silverman. 2010. “Prevalence of Child Marriage and Its Effect on Women’s Health in India.” Journal of the American Medical Association 304 (5): 525–532.
Rumble, Lauren, Amber Peterman, Nadira Irdiana, Margaret Triyana, and Emilie Minnick. 2018. “An Empirical Exploration of Female Child Marriage Determinants in Indonesia.” BMC Public Health 18: 407. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-018-5313-0.
Salam, Safrin. 2017. “Dispensasi Perkawinan Anak di Bawah Umur: Perspektif Hukum Adat, Hukum Negara & Hukum Islam.” Pagaruyuang Law Journal 1 (1): 110–124.
Schaffnit, Susan B., Mark Urassa, Joyce Wamoyi, Maria Dardoumpa, and David W. Lawson. 2021. “‘I Have Never Seen Something Like That’: Discrepancies between Lived Experiences and the Global Health Concept of Child Marriage in Northern Tanzania.” PLOS ONE 16 (4): e0249200. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0249200.
Sedgh, Gilda, Akinrinola Bankole, Susheela Singh, and E. F. Eilers. 2015. “Adolescent Pregnancy, Birth, and Abortion Rates across Countries: Levels and Recent Trends.” Journal of Adolescent Health 56 (2): 223–230.
Subramanee, S. Daarwin, Kingsley Agho, Josyula Lakshmi, Md. Nazmul Huda, Rohina Joshi, and Blessing Akombi-Inyang. 2022. “Child Marriage in South Asia: A Systematic Review.” International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 19 (22): 15138. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192215138.
Tobing, Rudyanti Dorotea. 2018. “Prevention of Child Marriage Age in the Perspective of Human Rights.” Sriwijaya Law Review 2 (1): 1–17.
Uecker, Jeremy E. 2012. “Early Marriage in the United States: Why Some Marry Young, Why Many Do Not, and What Difference It Makes.” Journal of Marriage and Family 74 (1): 132–150.
Wodon, Quentin, Chata Male, Ada Nayihouba, Adenike Onagoruwa, Aboudrahyme Savadogo, Ali Yedan, et al. 2017. “Economic Impacts of Child Marriage: Global Synthesis Report.” The World Bank Economic Review.
Yount, Kathryn M., Jessica S. Crandall, and others. 2016. “Child Marriage and Intimate Partner Violence in India.” Journal of Interpersonal Violence.
Zulfiani. 2017. “Kajian Hukum terhadap Perkawinan Anak di Bawah Umur Menurut Undang-Undang Nomor 1 Tahun 1974.” Jurnal Hukum Samudra Keadilan 12 (2): 211–222.
Legal Sources
Republic of Indonesia. 1974. Law No. 1 of 1974 concerning Marriage, as amended by Law No. 16 of 2019.
Republic of Indonesia. 2014. Law No. 35 of 2014 concerning Amendments to Law No. 23 of 2002 concerning Child Protection.
Republic of Indonesia. 2019. Law No. 16 of 2019 concerning Amendments to Law No. 1 of 1974 concerning Marriage.
Supreme Court of the Republic of Indonesia. 2019. Supreme Court Regulation No. 5 of 2019 concerning Guidelines for Adjudicating Applications for Marriage Dispensation.
Republic of Indonesia. 2002. Law No. 23 of 2002 concerning Child Protection.
Republic of Indonesia. 2000. Law No. 39 of 1999 concerning Human Rights.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Dian Latifiani, Waspiah Waspiah (Author)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
All writings published in this journal are the personal views of the authors and do not represent the views of this journal and the author's affiliated institutions. Author(s) retain copyrights without any restriction under the license of Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).
