About Hundreds of Students in Ponorogo Reportedly Pregnant, This Said a Lecturer at UM Surabaya

• 13 Jan
• 2023

Foto tangkapan layar (Seputar Inews)

About Hundreds of Students in Ponorogo Reportedly Pregnant, This Said a Lecturer at UM Surabaya

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• By Uswah Sahal
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Recently, the public was shocked by the news that hundreds of female students in Ponorogo had applied for a marriage dispensation because they were pregnant out of wedlock. Of course one of the reasons is because they are classified as underage.

The busyness of the case attracted the attention of many people, from netizens to academics. One of the academics was Sri Lestari, a Lecturer at the Faculty of Teacher Training and Education (FKIP) UM Surabaya who also gave comments.

Tari said that giving a marriage dispensation on this issue would be an unwise decision because it has the potential to increase cases of child marriage again. Even though the law already regulates the minimum age limit for marriage.

“Various considerations are reasons why child marriage should be banned. One of the factors is physical and psychological considerations that they are not ready to get pregnant, give birth and care for children," said Tari Friday (13/1/23)

He said, child marriage is like a vicious circle whose effects are long-term, ranging from the potential to increase cases of stunting, domestic violence to poverty.

The wiser thing about the solution to this case is to consider the long term. According to Tari, one cannot simply blame the effects of association or social media without tracing and solving the root of the problem. Many suggest fortifying children with good religious education is indeed one solution.

“However, we need to rethink whether it is really an effective solution. In fact, recently there have been many cases of sexual violence perpetrated by religious persons," he added.

In a written statement, Tari shared a long-term solution for this case. First by teaching children about respect for themselves and others.

“We need to teach how to respect ourselves and not violate the rights of others. Give an understanding that they have the right to their bodies as other people have the same rights too. Children have the right to refuse to be touched as well as other people," said Tari.

Second, implementing sexual education needs to start from the family to the school sphere. Sexual education should no longer be considered taboo in our society. Often many think that teaching sexual education means teaching children to have sex. This is not the case. There should be a specific curriculum related to sexual education according to the child's education level.

"Don't just educate about introducing reproductive organs, but also include the risks of unplanned pregnancies, contraception, venereal diseases so that children know that there are consequences behind the decision to be ready for sexual intercourse," he stressed.

Third, instill that marriage needs readiness. There are still many who question how old the marriage should be. There is still a trend in society that stereotypes the decision to marry at a ripe age as a virgin or an old man.

Finally, involve community leaders in eradicating child marriage. According to Tari, Indonesian culture still glorifies community leaders as central to decisions. Especially in village culture which is very thick with pesantren culture or religion.

"Of course, the first is the character who needs to be educated, because there are still many figures who still think that child marriage is legitimate, strengthened by religious arguments. Of course changing this paradigm is quite complex but still needs to be worked on,” concluded Tari.