The Justice Dilemma in Minor Marriages: Dispensation vs. Prevention
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15294/ulj.v11i2.3920Keywords:
Minor Marriages, Legal Paradox, Child Protection, Dispensation, IndonesiaAbstract
In Indonesia, the issue of minor marriages has long been a contentious subject, intersecting with complex legal, cultural, and ethical dimensions. The legal framework governing marriage, particularly the stipulations outlined in the Marriage Law No. 1 of 1974, sets the minimum marriage age at 16 for women and 19 for men, but exceptions have often been made under certain circumstances. The practice of granting dispensations for underage marriages through religious and civil courts, particularly in rural areas, raises significant concerns regarding child protection and gender equality. This paper explores the legal paradox of minor marriages in Indonesia, focusing on the tension between granting dispensations (legal exceptions) and the broader need for prevention policies to protect children’s rights and ensure gender justice. Through an analysis of judicial practices, statutory regulations, and the socio-cultural context, the study examines how the legal system both enables and limits efforts to combat child marriage. It critiques the role of judicial discretion in granting dispensations to minor marriages and highlights the challenges faced by policymakers in harmonizing national law with international human rights standards, such as the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC). The paper argues that while legal dispensation offers a temporary solution, it inadvertently perpetuates systemic inequalities, particularly for young girls. The study calls for a reexamination of the legal framework to prioritize prevention, reinforce protections for children, and align Indonesia’s marriage laws with international standards of justice and child welfare.
References
Aditya, Rizky Irfano, and Lisa Waddington. "The Legal Protection Against Child Marriage in Indonesia." Bestuur 9, no. 2 (2021): 126-134. https://doi.org/10.20961/bestuur.v9i2.55144
Arthur, Megan, et al. "Child marriage laws around the world: Minimum marriage age, legal exceptions, and gender disparities." Journal of Women, Politics & Policy 39, no. 1 (2018): 51-74. https://doi.org/10.1080/1554477x.2017.1375786
Baraie, Bahman, et al. "What socio-cultural factors encourage child marriage in Sanandaj, Iran? a qualitative study." Child & Youth Services 45, no. 1 (2024): 23-44. https://doi.org/10.1080/0145935x.2023.2167708
Berliana, Sarni Maniar, et al. "Determinants of early marriage among female adolescent in Indonesia." International Journal of Adolescent Medicine and Health 33, no. 1 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1515/ijamh-2018-0054
Delprato, Marcos, and Kwame Akyeampong. "The effect of early marriage timing on women's and children's health in Sub-Saharan Africa and Southwest Asia." Annals of Global Health 83, no. 3-4 (2017): 557-567. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aogh.2017.10.005
Disemadi, Hari Sutra, Sholahuddin Al-Fatih, and Mochammad Abizar Yusro. "Indonesian Children Protection Against Commercial Sexual Exploitation Through Siri Marriage Practices in Maqashid Al-Shariah Perspective." Brawijaya Law Journal 7, no. 2 (2020): 195-212. https://doi.org/10.21776/ub.blj.2020.007.02.04
Eleanora, Fransiska Novita, and Andang Sari. "Pernikahan Anak Usia Dini Ditinjau dari Perspektif Perlindungan Anak." PROGRESIF: Jurnal Hukum 14, no. 1 (2020). https://doi.org/10.33019/progresif.v14i1.1485
Farida, Elfia, Dyah Wijaningsih, and Aga Natalis. "Child Marriage in Indonesia: Challenges and Prevention Efforts in the Context of Children's Rights." Pakistan Journal of Criminology 16, no. 431 (2024). https://doi.org/10.62271/pjc.16.4.606.617
Gilligan, Carol. "In a different voice: Women’s Conceptions of Self and of Morality." Harvard Educational Review 47, no. 4 (1977): 481-517. https://doi.org/10.17763/haer.47.4.g6167429416hg5l0
Grijns, Mies, and Hoko Horii. "Child marriage in a village in West Java (Indonesia): Compromises between legal obligations and religious concerns." Asian Journal of Law and Society 5, no. 2 (2018): 453-466. https://doi.org/10.1017/als.2018.9
Gunawan, Shella Oetharry, and Syamsul Bahri. "Impacts of Early Childhood Marriage in Indonesia Viewed from Child Protection Laws Perspectives." El-Usrah: Jurnal Hukum Keluarga 6, no. 2 (2023): 362-380. https://doi.org/10.22373/ujhk.v6i2.20262
Hanafi, Syawaluddin. "Legal Politics of Changes to Marriage Laws in Indonesia." Al-Qadha: Jurnal Hukum Islam dan Perundang-Undangan 11, no. 1 (2024): 68-85. https://doi.org/10.32505/qadha.v11i1.8867
Hariati, Sri. "Eksistensi Peraturan Daerah Nomor 5 Tahun 2021 Tentang Pencegahan Perkawinan Anak Sebagai Upaya preventif Pernikahan Dini Menurut Perspektif Hukum Islam." Collegium Studiosum Journal 6, no. 1 (2023): 81-89. https://doi.org/10.56301/csj.v6i1.742
Hizbullah, Abdussalam. "Eksistensi Dispensasi Perkawinan Terhadap Pelaksanaan Perlindungan Anak di Indonesia." Jurnal Hawa 1, no. 2 (2019): 269-286. https://doi.org/10.29300/hawapsga.v1i2.2608
Ihzar, Muh Shohibul, et al. "Pernikahan Dini: Regulasi, Pandangan Ulama, Penyebab dan Solusi Terbaik." Ethics and Law Journal: Business and Notary 2, no. 3 (2024): 35-41. https://doi.org/10.61292/eljbn.212
Ilahi, Andi Hidayat Anugrah. "The Evaluation of Early Marriage Law Renewal in Indonesia." Unnes Law Journal 7, no. 1 (2021): 129-152. https://doi.org/10.15294/ulj.v7i1.43000
Iqbal, Muhammad, Holijah Holijah, and Khalisah Hayatuddin. "Peranan Hakim dalam Pencegahan Perkawinan di Usia Anak dan Perlindungan Kepentingan Terbaik bagi Anak Terkait Pengajuan Perkara Dispensasi Kawin di Pengadilan Agama Pangkalan Balai." Doctrinal 8, no. 1 (2023): 60-81. https://doi.org/10.19109/ujhki.v8i1.23274
Jamilah, Sri, Muhammad Akbar, and Ilham Ilham. "Dampak Pernikahan Dini Terhadap Pendidikan Akhlak Anak di Desa Sari Kecamatan Sape Kabupaten Bima." Pelangi: Jurnal Pemikiran dan Penelitian Pendidikan Islam Anak Usia Dini 4, no. 2 (2022): 267-283. https://doi.org/10.52266/pelangi.v4i2.1049
Janjua, Maria Muzaffar, and Anila Kamal. "Understanding the Role of Patriarchy in Perpetuating Child Marriages in Pakistan: A Qualitative Exploration." Journal of Development and Social Sciences 5, no. 4 (2024): 117-131.
Judiasih, Sonny Dewi, et al. "Women, law, and policy: Child marriage practice in Indonesia." Jurnal Notariil 3, no. 1 (2018): 47-55. https://doi.org/10.22225/jn.3.1.647.47-55
Kamil, Ahmad. Hukum Perlindungan dan Pengangkatan Anak di Indonesia. (Jakarta: Raja Grafindo Persada, 2008).
Katz, June S., and Ronald S. Katz. "Legislating social change in a developing country: The new Indonesian marriage law revisited." The American Journal of Comparative Law 26, no. 2 (1978): 309-320. https://doi.org/10.2307/839677
Katz, June S., and Ronald S. Katz. "The New Indonesian Marriage Law: A Mirror of Indonesia's Political, Cultural, and Legal Systems." American Journal of Comparative Law 1 (1975): 653-681. https://doi.org/10.2307/839240
Khoja-Moolji, Shenila. "Girls, Education, and narratives of progress: Deconstructing the discourse on child marriage." In Educating Adolescent Girls Around the Globe. (London: Routledge, 2015), pp. 62-79.
Kumala Dewi, Luh Putu Ratih, and Teguh Dartanto. "Natural disasters and girls vulnerability: is child marriage a coping strategy of economic shocks in Indonesia?." Vulnerable Children and Youth Studies 14, no. 1 (2019): 24-35. https://doi.org/10.1080/17450128.2018.1546025
Kuswanto, Heri, et al. "Prevalence of and factors associated with female child marriage in Indonesia." Plos one 19, no. 7 (2024): e0305821. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0305821
Latifiani, Dian. "The Darkest Phase for Family: Child Marriage Prevention and Its Complexity in Indonesia." Journal of Indonesian Legal Studies 4, no. 2 (2019): 241. https://doi.org/10.15294/jils.v4i2.34708
Lestari, Rizqi Tri, and Jejen Hendar. "Dispensasi Perkawinan Anak dibawah Umur menurut UU Perkawinan dengan Al Maqasyid Syariah." Jurnal Riset Ilmu Hukum 2, no. 1 (2022): 19-22. https://doi.org/10.29313/jrih.v2i1.655
MacKinnon, Catherine A. "Sexuality, pornography, and method:" Pleasure under Patriarchy." Ethics 99, no. 2 (1989): 314-346. https://doi.org/10.1086/293068
Mariani, Mariani. "Reactualization of the Marriage Age Limit in Indonesia (in the Perspective of Maslahah Mursalah)." Lambung Mangkurat Law Journal 7, no. 1 (2022): 93-107. https://doi.org/10.32801/lamlaj.v7i1.309
Marshan, Joseph Natanael, Mohammed Fajar Rakhmadi, and Mayang Rizky. "Prevalence of child marriage and its determinants among young women in Indonesia." Child Poverty and Social Protection Conference. SMERU Research Institute, 2013.
Mayasari, Dian Ety, and Andreas L. Atjengbharata. "Pengaturan Batas Usia Untuk Melakukan Perkawinan Ditinjau Dari Undang-Undang Perlindungan Anak." DiH: Jurnal Ilmu Hukum 16, no. 2 (2020): 237-246. https://doi.org/10.30996/dih.v16i2.3425
Miqat, Nurul, et al. "The Development of Indonesian Marriage Law in Contemporary Era." De Jure: Jurnal Hukum dan Syar’iah 15, no. 1 (2023): 54-66. https://doi.org/10.18860/j-fsh.v15i1.17461
Muntamah, Ana Latifatul, Dian Latifiani, and Ridwan Arifin. "Pernikahan Dini di Indonesia: Faktor Dan Peran Pemerintah (Perspektif Penegakan dan Perlindungan Hukum Bagi Anak)." Widya Yuridika 2, no. 1 (2019): 1-12. https://doi.org/10.31328/wy.v2i1.823
Muqaffi, Ahmad, Rusdiyah Rusdiyah, and Diana Rahmi. "Menilik Problematika Dispensasi Nikah dalam Upaya Pencegahan Pernikahan Anak Pasca Revisi UU Perkawinan." Journal of Islamic and Law Studies 5, no. 2 (2021). https://doi.org/10.18592/jils.v5i3.5914
Muzzamil, HM Mawardi, and Muhammad Muhammad Kunardi. "Implikasi Dispensasi Perkawinan Terhadap Eksistensi Rumah Tangga di Pengadilan Agama Semarang." Jurnal Pembaharuan Hukum 1, no. 2 (2014): 209-218. https://doi.org/10.26532/jph.v1i2.1479
Natsif, Fadli Andi. "Problematika Perkawinan Anak (Perspektif Hukum Islam dan Hukum Positif)." Jurnal Al-Qadau: Peradilan Dan Hukum Keluarga Islam 5, no. 2 (2018): 175-186. https://doi.org/10.24252/al-qadau.v5i2.7101
Pakasi, Diana Teresa. "Child marriage in Indonesia: Practices, politics, and struggles." Masyarakat: Jurnal Sosiologi 24, no. 1 (2019): 1. https://doi.org/10.7454/mjs.v24i1.10956
Parsons, Jennifer, et al. "Economic impacts of child marriage: a review of the literature." The Review of Faith & International Affairs 13, no. 3 (2015): 12-22. https://doi.org/10.1080/15570274.2015.1075757
Pourtaheri, Asma, et al. "Socio-ecological factors of girl child marriage: a meta-synthesis of qualitative research." BMC Public Health 24, no. 1 (2024): 428. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-023-17626-z
Prabawati, Tiara Dewi, and Emmilia Rusdiana. "Kajian Yuridis Mengenai Alasan Pengajuan Dispensasi Kawin Dikaitkan dengan Asas-Asas Perlindungan Anak." Novum: Jurnal Hukum 6, no. 3 (2019): 1-10. https://doi.org/10.32493/rjih.v1i1.1923
Prabowo, Bagya Agung. "Pertimbangan Hakim dalam Penetapan Dispensasi Perkawinan Dini Akibat Hamil di Luar Nikah pada Pengadilan Agama Bantul." Jurnal Hukum Ius Quia Iustum 20, no. 2 (2013): 300-317. https://doi.org/10.20885/iustum.vol20.iss2.art7
Priohutomo, Sigit. "Mencegah pernikahan anak melalui Program KKBPK." Seminar Nasional Kependudukan Banjarmasin. 2018.
Rahayu, Diah, et al. "Social Stigma in Adolescents Who Do Early Marriage at School Age." International Journal of Social Science and Business 5, no. 4 (2021): 561-568. https://doi.org/10.23887/ijssb.v5i4.40077
Ramelan, Rafida, and Rahmi Nurtsani. "Menakar Fungsi Dispensasi Kawin dalam Pencegahan Perkawinan Anak di Indonesia." Usroh: Jurnal Hukum Keluarga Islam 8, no. 1 (2024): 11-27. https://doi.org/10.19109/ujhki.v8i1.23274
Retnowulandari, Wahyuni, et al. "The Prevalence of Child Marriage: Comparitive Study of Indonesia and Other South Asian States." Jambura Law Review 6, no. 2 (2024): 339-366. https://doi.org/10.33756/jlr.v6i2.24257
Rose, Guo Kasara. Cultural Norms and Early Child Marriage. Diss. Kampala International University, 2023.
Rosita, Intan, Nurul Ilmi Idrus, and Muhammad Basir. "The Stigma of Child Marriage in Ajallasse Village, Cenrana District, Bone District." Proceedings of the 5th International Conference on Linguistics and Cultural Studies 5 (ICLC-5 2024). Vol. 916. Springer Nature, 2025. https://doi.org/10.2991/978-2-38476-394-8_36
Rumble, Lauren, et al. "An empirical exploration of female child marriage determinants in Indonesia." BMC Public Health 18, no. 1 (2018): 407. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-018-5313-0
Safira, Levana, Sonny Dewi Judiasih, and Deviana Yuanitasari. "Perlindungan Hukum Terhadap Anak Yang Melakukan Perkawinan Bawah Umur Tanpa Dispensasi Kawin Dari Pengadilan." ACTA DIURNAL Jurnal Ilmu Hukum Kenotariatan 4, no. 2 (2021): 210-225. https://doi.org/10.23920/acta.v4i2.521
Sen, Amartya. "Why and how is health a human right?." The Lancet 372, no. 9655 (2008): 2010. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0140-6736(08)61784-5
Setiawan, Sarno, et al. "Community Empowerment on Establishment of Friendly-Village for Women and Children." Indonesian Journal of Advocacy and Legal Services 1, no. 1 (2019): 5-22. https://doi.org/10.15294/ijals.v1i1.33756
Setiyawan, Agus, and Iskandar Wibawa. "Peranan Dinas Pemberdayaan Perempuan Perlindungan Anak, Pengendalian Penduduk dan Keluarga Berencana (DP3AP2KB) Kabupaten Jepara dalam Memberikan Rekomendasi Pernikahan Dini di Pengadilan Agama Jepara." Jurnal Suara Keadilan 22, no. 2 (2021): 129-147. https://doi.org/10.24176/sk.v22i2.8532
Singh, Susheela, and Renee Samara. "Early marriage among women in developing countries." International Family Planning Perspectives (1996): 148-175. https://doi.org/10.2307/2950812
Sopyan, Yayan, et al. "Child Exploitation by Parents in Early Marriage: Case Study in Cianjur West Java, Indonesia." Samarah: Jurnal Hukum Keluarga dan Hukum Islam 7, no. 3 (2023): 1921-1942. https://doi.org/10.22373/sjhk.v7i3.14804
Sumiarni, Endang. "Historical Study of Marriage Law Between the Norms and the Problematics." Revista de Gestão Social e Ambiental 18.5 (2024): 1-19. https://doi.org/10.24857/rgsa.v18n5-012
Suryanti, Irma, and Dewa Gde Rudy. "Disfungsi Dispensasi Kawin dalam Upaya Pencegahan Perkawinan Anak." Jurnal Magister Hukum Udayana 10, no. 2 (2021): 782-794. https://doi.org/10.19109/ujhki.v8i1.23274
Tampubolon, Elisabeth Putri Lahitani. "Permasalahan Perkawinan Dini di Indonesia." Jurnal Indonesia Sosial Sains 2, no. 5 (2021): 465434. https://doi.org/10.36418/jiss.v2i5.279
Uyun, Qurratul Uyun, Maida Hafidz, and Madah Rahmatan. "Best Interest for Children in Perma No. 5 of 2019 Concerning Guidelines for Trying Dispensation Marriage Application Cases." At-Thullab: Jurnal Mahasiswa Studi Islam 5, no. 2 (2023): 118-127. https://doi.org/10.20885/tullab.vol5.iss2.art12
Waqiah, Siti Qomariatul. "Diskursus perlindungan anak perempuan di bawah umur pasca perubahan undang-undang perkawinan." An-Nawazil: Jurnal Hukum dan Syariah Kontemporer 1, no. 2 (2019): 65-79. https://doi.org/10.51517/jhtp.v7i1.296
Wibowo, Heribertus Rinto, et al. "One household, two worlds: Differences of perception towards child marriage among adolescent children and adults in Indonesia." The Lancet Regional Health–Western Pacific 8 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lanwpc.2021.100103
Yusuf, Muhammad Rifky. "Efektivitas Hukum Terhadap Pemberlakuan PERMA No 5 Tahun 2019 dalam Mengatasi Perkawinan di Bawah Umur." AL-MANHAJ: Jurnal Hukum dan Pranata Sosial Islam 4, no. 2 (2022): 409-418. https://doi.org/10.37680/almanhaj.v4i2.1816
Zulaiha, Eni, and Ayi Zaenal Mutaqin. "The Problems of The Marriage Age Changing in Indonesia in the Perspectives of Muslim Jurists and Gender Equality." Hanifiya: Jurnal Studi Agama-Agama 4, no. 2 (2021): 99-108. https://doi.org/10.15575/hanifiya.v4i2.13538
Downloads
Published
Article ID
3920Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Suthida Chaturathorn, Setyaning Wida Nurul Anggaretno, Harith Badrul, Jaxon Woods, Ariana Oliveira (Author)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
All writings published in this journal are the personal views of the authors and do not represent the views of this journal or the authors' affiliated institutions. Author(s) retain copyrights under the license of Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0).
