Jakarta (Antara Bali) - The Constitutional Court has rejected a demand for raising the minimum age to marry for women from presently 16 to 18 years old.
"(The court) rejects the demand for the judicial review in its entirety," chief judge Arief Hidayat read the verdict here on Thursday.
Several women activists along with the Foundation for Child's Right Monitoring and the Foundation for Women's Health have filed for a judicial review on the Marriage Law Number 1 of 1974 in connection with their demand for raising the minimum legal age for women allowed to marry from 16 to 18 years old.
The judges considered the need to set the minimum legal age especially for women to marry is relatively adapted to development of various aspects including health and social-economy.
"There is no guarantee that by increasing the minimum age from 16 to 18 years the rate of divorce will decline and other social problems are minimized," justice Patrialis Akbar said when reading the judges' consideration.
Justice Maria Farida Indrati however had a dissenting opinion.
She said that the regulation on the minimum age for marriage was no longer in line with the existing laws.
"It can be concluded that a child marriage could endanger the life and development of the child and may put the child into a vulnerable situation of facing violence and discrimination," she said.
Maria said marriage requires physical, psychological, social, economic, intellectual, cultural and spiritual preparations.
The applicants have stated that the marriage law in its implications has no longer been in line with the existing national regulations especially with regard to minimum age of a woman to marry.
They think the minimum age of 16 years old has produced marriages that result in the deprivation of girls' right to grow and develop, to education and endangering their reproductive health. (WDY)
COPYRIGHT © ANTARA News Bali 2015
"(The court) rejects the demand for the judicial review in its entirety," chief judge Arief Hidayat read the verdict here on Thursday.
Several women activists along with the Foundation for Child's Right Monitoring and the Foundation for Women's Health have filed for a judicial review on the Marriage Law Number 1 of 1974 in connection with their demand for raising the minimum legal age for women allowed to marry from 16 to 18 years old.
The judges considered the need to set the minimum legal age especially for women to marry is relatively adapted to development of various aspects including health and social-economy.
"There is no guarantee that by increasing the minimum age from 16 to 18 years the rate of divorce will decline and other social problems are minimized," justice Patrialis Akbar said when reading the judges' consideration.
Justice Maria Farida Indrati however had a dissenting opinion.
She said that the regulation on the minimum age for marriage was no longer in line with the existing laws.
"It can be concluded that a child marriage could endanger the life and development of the child and may put the child into a vulnerable situation of facing violence and discrimination," she said.
Maria said marriage requires physical, psychological, social, economic, intellectual, cultural and spiritual preparations.
The applicants have stated that the marriage law in its implications has no longer been in line with the existing national regulations especially with regard to minimum age of a woman to marry.
They think the minimum age of 16 years old has produced marriages that result in the deprivation of girls' right to grow and develop, to education and endangering their reproductive health. (WDY)
Editor : I Gusti Bagus Widyantara
COPYRIGHT © ANTARA News Bali 2015