"Why Did You Drop Me Off After 7?"... 15-Year-Old Indonesian Who Quit School to Get Married

Indonesia: 7 out of 10 Girls Marry Before Age 18

On the 12th (local time), a Sasak boy and girl held a wedding ceremony in a village on Lombok Island, Indonesia. / Photo by Internet homepage capture

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Juhyung] A 15-year-old boy and a 12-year-old girl recently held a wedding ceremony on Lombok Island, Indonesia. This was in accordance with a tribal customary law that states "if a woman is escorted home after sunset, they must get married."

According to local Indonesian media such as 'Kumparan' on the 17th (local time), A (15) and B (12), residents of Lombok Island, held a traditional wedding ceremony on the 12th. Since both are still young, it is reported that only a traditional wedding was held without approval from religious authorities.

It is reported that A recently escorted B home around 7:30 PM. The 'Sasak' tribe, to which they belong, has a customary law that if a woman is escorted home late, they must be married. Following this, B's parents strongly insisted that A and B must get married.

The village chief said in an interview with local media, "Myself and A's parents tried to prevent the marriage because the bride and groom are too young," but added, "The bride's parents strongly wanted the marriage."

A plans to quit school, which he was attending to support his wife, and sell soap online.

Meanwhile, a video of the wedding ceremony attended by relatives and village elders spread on social networking services (SNS), prompting criticism from Indonesian netizens. Comments included, "Why force children who are at an age to study to marry?", "The parents are the problem," and "Why did the village elders allow this?"

According to UNICEF, Indonesia is one of the countries with the highest rates of child marriage in the world, with 7 out of 10 Indonesian girls marrying before the age of 18.

To prevent early marriage, Indonesia raised the legal minimum marriage age for women from 16 to 19 last year. However, regardless of the law, minors can still marry with the approval of religious authorities if their parents request it.