Teen marriages cause serious social problems<\/p>\n
By I Ketut Sutika<\/p>\n
Denpasar, Bali (Antara): The ongoing multi-dimensional crisis
\nhas badly affected efforts of the Bali provincial government to
\nprevent the island's teenagers from tying the knot with their
\nyoung lovers, said a minister.<\/p>\n
The increasing rate of school dropouts has encouraged the
\nyouth, teenage girls in particular, to get married soon,
\naccording to State Minister for Women Empowerment Kofifah Indar
\nParawansa.<\/p>\n
The minister said during her visit to the province recently
\nthat if the local government paid attention to this issue,
\nteenage marriage would not increase sharply.<\/p>\n
\"The central government has already provided a social safety
\nnet for education to help these unfortunate students continue
\ntheir schooling,\" said Kofifah, who is also head of the National
\nFamily Planning Board.<\/p>\n
Moreover, a number of local and international institutions
\nhave committed to provide financial assistance for these school
\ndropouts.<\/p>\n
The minister continued that local government and related
\nparties have to register the precise number of students who
\nreally needed financial support.<\/p>\n
\"They have to be able to finish their education before
\nthinking about having a family,\" Kofifah warned.<\/p>\n
Over the past three years, the number of Balinese girls
\ngetting married under 20 years of age has increased rapidly.<\/p>\n
Bali has been very successful in implementing the national
\nfamily planning program in curbing the birth rate and the
\nprovince's population.<\/p>\n
There are 441,208 users of contraceptives or 78.48 percent of
\nthe total 541,983 young married couples in Bali.<\/p>\n
According to provincial government data, Balinese men and
\nwomen get married at an average age of 24.2 years, compared to
\nthe national age level of only 21.9.<\/p>\n
\"But that figure was taken from data in l990. I am sure that
\nthe figures have changed drastically due to the crisis. We're
\nstill conducting the survey,\" said I.G.A.G Kepakisan, head of
\nBali's Family Planning Board office.<\/p>\n
The data also shows that in Karangasem, one of the island's
\npoorest regencies in East Bali, many women married below 20 years
\nof age due to economic and social problems.<\/p>\n
Despite this gloomy picture, Head of University of Udayana's
\nWomen's Study Center Dr. Tjok Istri Putra Astiti said that in
\nBali, women play the major role (almost 98 percent) in the
\nimplementation of family planning.<\/p>\n
This multi-dimensional crisis has shown no sign of recovery,
\ncommented Kofifah adding that it has affected all aspects of
\npeople's lives, particularly the lives of the destitute. The
\nnumber of vulnerable families has increased dramatically since
\nthe crisis started in l997.<\/p>\n
Around 20 percent of the 24 million family planning acceptors
\nare now categorized as impoverished families who have to be given
\nfree access to the family planning program if the government
\nwants to maintain the current population rate.<\/p>\n
\"They don't have money to buy food and other basic needs, let
\nalone contraceptive pills or IUDs,\" she said.<\/p>\n
On the other hand, both the Central and provincial governments
\nface difficult financial problems and have only limited funds to
\nprovide free contraception for the needy couples.<\/p>\n
The 2001 State Budget only allocates 15 percent of the total
\ncosts needed nationwide for the procurement of contraception for
\npoor couples.<\/p>\n
\"Indonesia depends mostly on donor countries in the provision
\nof contraceptives,\" she explained.<\/p>\n
So far, the European Union, Japan and Canada have been the
\nmost active donor countries in helping Indonesia in controlling
\nits population rate.<\/p>\n
The Family Planning Board, she said, is strongly committed to
\nprovide technical and financial support to the provincial
\ngovernments in the implementation of the family planning program.<\/p>\n
Minister Kofifah added that the government is now careful in
\nlaunching any family planning program. In the past, the program's
\ntarget was for couples to have only two children and to create a
\nsmall family.<\/p>\n
The vision has now changed. Now, people are just encouraged to
\ncontrol the number of children they have in accordance with their
\nown capability.<\/p>\n
\"Controlling the number of children an individual has may
\nviolate human rights related to women's reproductive health,\" she
\nmaintained.<\/p>\n
The government currently encourages married couples to lead a
\nhappy family life providing quality care for children both
\nemotionally and physically, she said.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/teen-marriages-cause-serious-social-problems-1447893297",
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