Village Chief Claims He Was Unaware of Underage Junior High Students' Wedding in Lombok Viral

Video of the wedding ceremony of two children who are still in junior high school in Dusun Mawun, Desa Tumpak, Kecamatan Pujut, Lombok Tengah, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB), has gone viral on social media. The head of Desa Tumpak, Rosadi, admitted he did not know of the incident. ‘There has been no report submitted to us or to the Desa Anak Forum by the village head of the dusun,’ Rosadi told detikBali on Sunday, 8 March 2026. If a report exists, the Desa Tumpak Government ensures the wedding would not take place. Rosadi said he has personnel who regularly undertake prevention work. ‘If there is a report, we will strive to prevent the occurrence of child marriage,’ he asserted. Rosadi said such incidents happen frequently in Desa Tumpak. However, support for monitoring and outreach in this area remains minimal from the regional government with authority over the matter. He said he was deeply distressed by the incident. The Desa Tumpak government has long warned of criminal penalties for parents who allow their underage children to marry, but the outreach has been ignored. ‘Actually, from the start I’ve said that if there are parents who let their child marry while under 15, then it is the parents who should be punished,’ Rosadi said. Previously, a video showing the marriage of two children who are still in junior high in Lombok Tengah, NTB, went viral on social media. The marriage of the couple, described by netizens as ‘child brides’, drew wide attention. The video was first posted by the Facebook account @Burhan on Friday, 6 March 2026. By Saturday, 7 March 2026, the post had around 189,000 views, more than 2,000 likes, and 578 comments. In the post, the account congratulated the two brides and grooms. It also noted that the ijab kabul ceremony took place despite heavy rain at the venue. ‘The ijab kabul process for child brides like this… but alhamdulillah legal, even though drenched by heavy rain!!!’ quoted @Burhan to detikBali, on Saturday 7 March 2026. DetikBali’s checks indicate the incident occurred in Dusun Mawun, Desa Tumpak, Kecamatan Pujut, Lombok Tengah. The two children are said to have carried out the selarian tradition, or the groom taking away the bride, about a week beforehand, after which they were married on Friday.