Tangerang (Antara Bali) - The Religious Affairs Ministry in Tangerang, Banten, has deplored the unregistered marriages of Indonesian women with expatriates, explaining that the condition would threaten the rights of the women and their children born from such marriages.
"Unregistered marriages can harm the womens rights related to the lineal heir and custody of the children," Head of Tangerang Districts Religious Affairs Office M. Nawawi stated here on Thursday in response to the implications of unregistered marriages.
Twenty Indonesian caddies, living in Tigaraksa, Tangerang District, had recently got married to foreign workers from South Korea, Singapore, and China.
Nawawi noted that the unregistered marriages were often only witnessed by the womens parents, particularly the father. However, the marriages are legal in accordance with Islamic teachings if the brides and grooms embrace Islam.
In this case, most of the expatriates who got married to Indonesian women have their own families in their respective countries. During their stay in Indonesia, the expatriates do not live with their families.
Instead, the foreign men, who are temporarily employed as expert staffers or managers at several companies in Tangerang and Jakarta, live alone in apartments in Tangerang. As the consequence of their marriages with Indonesian women, they offer financial support to their wives.
ANTARA News found that the married women were given houses and cars. Several of them had children from their unregistered marriages.
According to Nawawi, every marriage must be registered at the local religious affairs office, so that the women and children born from these marriages can avail full rights and be recognized by the state. (WDY)
