"We will surely refuse to legally recognize such marriages. Underage couples seeking to legalize their marriages will always be rejected. This means that none of them are officially married," the ministry's spokesperson, Sunanto, told the media in Jakarta on Monday.
He made the statement at a press conference on the ministry's Religion Festival when asked about the legal status of a teenage marriage that has gone viral on social media platforms.
According to Article 7, Paragraph (1) of Law No. 16 of 2019 regarding Marriage, the state will only recognize a marriage between a man and a woman with a minimum age of 19.
However, Paragraph (2) of the article stipulates that in the event of a deviation from the minimum age requirement, the parents of the couple can request a dispensation from a religious affairs court to allow the marriage based on proven compelling reasons or urgent circumstances.
The religious affairs court may grant or reject such a request. Meanwhile, couples who practice other religions can apply to a district court for a dispensation.
Compelling reasons and urgent circumstances in the paragraph refer to a condition where no other options are available for a couple but getting married.
Furthermore, the third paragraph of the article mandates religious affairs courts and district courts to hear the viewpoints of both the male and female applicants before deciding on their dispensation request.
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Translator: Tri M, Tegar Nurfitra
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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