An estimated 640 million girls and women in the world today were married in childhood, according to UNICEF. The prevalence has slightly declined: with one in five young women aged 20 to 24 years being married as children, down from nearly one in four 10 years ago.
But child marriage continues to be a harmful practice in Phone Number List many developing countries, where it is often seen as a necessity for survival. In many communities, child marriage is seen as a way to protect girls and ensure their financial security, while also aligning with traditional gender roles and expectations.
Indonesia has a high incidence of child marriage in the Asia Pacific region, and the eighth highest in the world. One in every nine girls in Indonesia are married before they turn 18.
Though the detrimental effects of child marriage on girls’ education, career opportunities, physical health and safety are well documented, the deep impacts it can have on the emotional and mental health of women are often overlooked.
My quantitative study in Indonesia shows that child marriage has a strong negative impact on women’s mental health.
In 2019, the Indonesian government revised the Marriage Act, raising the minimum age for girls to marry to 19 years old – the same age as boys. Previously, with parental permission girls were allowed to marry from 16 years old.
But it is possible to marry off girls even earlier by obtaining approval from religious courts or local officials, in which case there would be no minimum age of marriage.