“Alhamdulillah (thank God), early marriage among children aged 0 to 18 years throughout the COVID-19 pandemic declined quite drastically,” Head of the Women’s Empowerment, Child Protection, Population Control and Family Planning Office (DP3AP2KB) of Bangka Belitung Islands province, Asyraf Suryadin, said here on Friday.
The 563 early marriages in 2021 were spread across Belitung district (162), East Belitung district (117), Bangka district (64), West Bangka district (83), South Bangka district (50), Central Bangka district (38), and Pangkalpinang city (51), he informed.
Meanwhile, the 932 early marriages recorded in 2020 were spread over West Bangka district (223), Belitung district (177), East Belitung district (161), Bangka district (121), South Bangka district (137), Central Bangka district (61), and Pangkalpinang city (52).
“Currently, the highest number of early marriage cases is in Belitung and East Belitung (districts). Therefore, joint efforts are needed to reduce early marriages,” Suryadin said.
According to him, early marriages do not only affect the high rate of divorce, stunting, and maternal and child mortality, but can also contribute to the increase in the rate of poverty and affect public order.
“We, with the related institutions, including village governments, continue to educate the community, especially parents to not allow their children to get married in teen age,” he said.
Head of the Provincial Population and Family Planning Agency (BKKBN) of Bangka Belitung, Fazar Supriadi, said that the BKKBN is accelerating the Building Teenage Family (BKR) program to reduce the early marriage rate.
“So far, awareness among parents and adolescents to join the BKR program is low so that their knowledge to plan and build a prosperous healthy family is also low,” he added.
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Translator: Aprionis, Raka Adji
Editor: Sri Haryati
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