1,310 Child Marriages in Aceh, a Two-Fold Increase by October 2023

The Aceh Provincial Religious Affairs Office (KUA) reported that the number of child marriages in Aceh reached 1,310 from January to October 2023. This figure is double that of the previous year, which stood at 651.

“[Child marriages] comprised 47 males and 1,263 females. The number has almost always increased year after year,” said Mukhlis, Head of Islamic Religious Affairs at the Aceh Ministry of Religious Affairs (Kemenag) Regional Office (Kanwil), as reported by Antara on Tuesday (November 28, 2023).

According to the marriage registration location, child marriages in Aceh most frequently occurred at the Johan Pahlawan KUA, Aceh Barat, with 470 cases up to October 2023.

The second highest number of child marriages in Aceh was recorded at the Banda Sakti Lhokseumawe KUA, with 356 cases.

This was followed by the Lueng Bata Banda Aceh KUA with 353 cases, the Peureulak Aceh Timur KUA with 315 cases, and the Darul Makmur Nagan Raya KUA with 307 cases.

Khairuddin, Head of the KUA Team at the Aceh Kemenag Kanwil, stated that the high number of marriages below the age of 19 is influenced by the mindset of the community, which views marriage as the most important achievement in a woman's life.

“There is a view among parents that they feel honored if they marry off their daughters after they finish school,” he said.

Furthermore, according to Khairuddin, the decline in morality among young people also contributes to child marriage in Aceh.

The measure of morality has not been explained in detail. However, according to Khairuddin, several cases, such as pregnancies outside of marriage, are causes of child marriage.

“So they are married as soon as possible before the stomach gets bigger or before giving birth,” he said.

In response, the Aceh Kemenag has collaborated with the National Family Planning Coordinating Board (BKKBN) and the Aceh Women's Empowerment and Child Protection Agency (DP3A) to prevent child marriage, including through Guidance for School-Aged Adolescents (BRUS).