"One of the things we need to do is make it clear that understanding reproductive health is important," BKKBN head Hasto Wardoyo said during an online coordination meeting with the PPPA Ministry here on Thursday.
Education on reproductive health is essential to change people's views on sex education, which is still considered a taboo subject, he added.
Girls contemplating marriage at the age of 16 need to know that their body and bones still need to undergo a period of growth and transformation, Wardoyo said.
Girls also need to know that if they become pregnant at a very young age, their bones will stop growing and they will be more susceptible to diseases at an older age when they experience menopause and osteoporosis,. he explained.
In addition, education on cervical cancer should also be provided to girls since the risk of cervical cancer can rise due to sexual intercourse at a young age, he said.
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Meanwhile, Minister of Women's Empowerment and Child Protection I Gusti Ayu Bintang Darmawati, said that child marriage can increase poverty and the risk of stunting.
“The impact of child marriage is enormous. Not only dropping out of school, but it will also have an impact on health, infant mortality, maternal mortality, and poverty," Darmawati noted.
Based on data from the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2020, mothers under the age of 20 are at a greater risk of giving birth to premature babies, low body weight, and complications in pregnancy, the minister said.
The prevalence rate of child marriage in Indonesia is currently still relatively high at 10.35 percent, she noted.
To prevent child marriage, the ministry side has launched a movement called Gebyar PPA, which is a follow-up to the national strategy for preventing child marriage, she informed.
However, education on child marriage and its risks should be promoted at the grassroots level, Darmawati said.
"For this reason, education about child marriage at an early age must be encouraged to the grassroots level," she stated.
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Translator: Hreeloita D, Raka Adji
Editor: Suharto
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