"Synergy and collaboration of stakeholders are needed to reduce the child marriage rate so that children can go to school and get an adequate education," she added in a statement released here on Friday.
She expressed the hope that the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Indonesia and the Khouw Kalbe Foundation on Thursday (February 23, 2023) would boost the effectiveness of child marriage prevention efforts.
"It is expected that this MoU will improve the effectiveness, coordination, and cooperation in efforts to prevent child marriage," Puspayoga said.
Through the MoU, the two parties, which are supported by the Indonesian government, will provide scholarships to 250 girl students that are at risk of child marriage and girl students who are victims of violence.
"The scholarship support is one of the solutions for supporting the education of our children who are at risk of child marriage, as well as to continue carrying out the Child Marriage Prevention National Strategy or Stranas PPA in Indonesia," the minister said.
According to Puspayoga, child marriage is a complicated and multi-sectoral issue.
Based on the 2020 National Socioeconomic Survey (Susenas), 8.19 percent of Indonesian women got married for the first time when they were aged 7–15 years.
"Child marriage is one of the forms of violence against children and is a practice of violating children's basic rights," the minister stressed.
She further stated that child marriage could worsen the stunting, dropout, and cervical cancer rates among children.
"The impacts of child marriage are not only experienced by the children who are married, but also the children that will be born (from child marriage), and it (child marriage) has the potential to create intergenerational poverty," she highlighted.
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Translator: Anita Permata, Raka Adji
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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