Safeguarding dreams at a young age

Surabaya (ANTARA) - There are dreams that should grow in classrooms, on school fields, or at study desks. Yet some of those dreams sometimes come to a halt before a wedding dais. At an age when a child is still learning to understand themselves, some instead must face the heavy responsibilities of a household.

The phenomenon of child marriage is not merely a legal or statistical issue. It is a reflection of how society views education, the future, family relations, and the protection of children’s rights. Therefore, when the number of marriage dispensations in Surabaya shows a significant decline, the news deserves appreciation, while also being read more deeply.

Data from the Surabaya Religious Court (PA Surabaya) shows that applications for marriage dispensation from January to June 2025 fell to 32 cases, compared to 68 cases in the same period the previous year. In 2026, the Surabaya City Government even recorded a 61.63 percent decline in marriage dispensation applications through various prevention strategies.

Behind these figures lies a larger story. The decline in marriage dispensations is not merely an administrative success. It is an indicator of social change currently underway within the society of Indonesia’s second-largest city.

However, the question remains: does a decline in marriage dispensation figures mean the problem of child marriage is resolved?

Marriage dispensation is a legal mechanism that allows a person to marry before reaching the minimum age for marriage, which is 19 years, as stipulated in Law Number 16 of 2019. In practice, marriage dispensation often becomes the entry point for child marriage. Therefore, the number of marriage dispensations is often used as one indicator to read the trend of child marriage.