With the issuance of the district head's regulation, Cianjur, West Java, is one such region that has implemented the ban on contract marriage.
"The district head's regulation prepared by the Cianjur District Government on banning contract marriage is the right first step. We laud it since the regulation prohibiting contract marriages is a solution to a problem that has not been solved since a long time in several areas. Hence, later, it can strengthen the regional regulation," Darmavati noted here on Thursday.
However, all parties must support the implementation of the district head's regulation, so that there are no other cases of contract marriages in areas that have already implemented it, including monitoring and reporting by residents in assisting the government.
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Meanwhile, the central government will follow up by strengthening the regulations through issuing a regulation and coordinating with other relevant ministries, as it requires all cross-institutional support.
"We will involve other relevant ministries, so that the regulation can support the rules that are already in effect in each region, including the steps for fostering and empowering those in contract marriages," she stressed.
Darmavati lauded the steps taken by the Cianjur district government in preparing a countermeasure scheme, so that women victims of contract marriages become family heads wherein they are economically empowered to become more independent.
Cianjur District Head Herman Suherman remarked that information on the district head's regulation had yet to be optimally disseminated on account of the ongoing pandemic, though it had been intensified on government-owned social media accounts.
Suherman spoke of currently drafting a regional regulation, so that the enforcement to stop contract marriage practices is more stringent, with sanctions being imposed. However, his side is still waiting for the central government to issue regulations as a legal basis to strengthen the regional regulation.
"Since the central government will formulate a regulation that will strengthen regional regulations, we will wait for it to make it in line with the regulations that have been drafted, including empowerment of women victims of contract marriages," he affirmed.
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Translator: Ahmad Fikri, Raka Adji
Editor: Suharto
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