Mamuju, Sulbarkita.com -- Settling the problem of early childhood marriages is a serious concern for the West Sulawesi Provincial Government. This is because Sulbar is in the highest percentage of early childhood marriages in Indonesia.
"Early childhood marriage is still at 34 percent and is the highest number in Indonesia," said West Sulawesi Governor Ali Baal Masdar in his office, Jalan Abdul Mallik Pattana Endeng, Rangas Village, Simboro District, Tuesday, October 29, 2019.
According to data from the West Sulawesi Central Statistics Agency (BPS), in 2015 there were 11.58 percent of children in West Sulawesi married under the age of 16. Then the BPS report on 2016 analysis of child marriage data in West Sulawesi ranks first in Indonesia with a value of 37 percent.
This is reinforced by the family data collection related to first age children in 2017. That for women married under the age of 21 years reached 117,741 people and men who married under 25 years reached 94,567 people.
For this reason, the Governor of West Sulawesi, Ali Baal Masdar issued a circular concerning the prevention and handling of early childhood marriages. The circular was circulated to all regents in West Sulawesi Province. "The aim is to improve the quality of human resources in West Sulawesi," he said.
According to Ali Baal, the government is committed and will be at the forefront in the prevention and handling of child-age marriages. "Prevention and handling of child marriages is one of the strategic issues of the West Sulawesi government," he said.
The high child marriage rate, said Ali Baal, had an impact on the high rates of maternal and infant mortality, stunting, divorce rates and domestic violence and even high dropout rates.
Through circular number 12 of 2019, regents in West Sulawesi Province through the Regional Apparatus Organization (OPD) can conduct prevention and treatment of early childhood marriages.
"That can be done in programs and activities in each OPD related, for example forming a Working Group (LWG) consisting of cross sectors," said Ali Baal.
The function of the formation of the Working Group is to ensure the supervision of early childhood marriages by applying inclusive values and gender equality.
Ali Baal hopes that regents throughout West Sulawesi will follow up on the circular by making instructions to the ranks below to socialize the minimum age for marriage based on law number 16 of 2019, to conduct prevention, handling and supervision as well as terminating early childhood marriages.
Erisusanto
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