ABSTRACT
Exploring regional policies to prevent child marriage is essential, especially given the 97% approval rate for marriage dispensations in religious courts. Urgent measures are required to achieve Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 5.3 and eliminate child marriage by 2030. This practice violates children's rights, exacerbates poverty (SDG 1), limits educational and economic opportunities (SDG 4), contributes to nutrition issues (SDG 2), and leads to poor health outcomes (SDG 3). Strengthening legal frameworks is crucial to protect children and support SDG 16. This policy analysis examines regional prevention programs addressing child marriage dispensations following the 2019 amendments to the marriage law. A literature review of 36 articles from peraturan.bpk.go.id and grey literature, using keywords such as “regional regulations,” “regional action plan,” and “child/early marriage” from 2020–2024 reveals that only 10 provinces and 26 districts/cities have revised their child marriage prevention policies. Most policies emphasise education for children and parents on the impacts of child marriage, child supervision, premarital counselling, and institutional support. However, only seven regional regulations mandate health examinations before marriage to assess reproductive and mental health risks associated with dispensations in religious courts. In conclusion, a more collaborative and holistic approach is urgently needed to strengthen regional efforts in preventing child marriage dispensations in Indonesia.
