Child marriage and its impact on reproductive health and rights of girls in Indonesia

Abstract

ABSTRACT Child marriage is often the result of gender inequality and human rights violation which disproportionately affects girls. During the pandemic period, the number of child marriages is on the rise in Indonesia and put Indonesia as the second rank in Southeast Asia. Expanding on this issue, we explored the sociodemographic and health vulnerabilities attached to the girls who performed an early marriage. We utilised nationally representative data from the 2017 Indonesia Demographic and Health Survey (IDHS). The sample was restricted to 4,017 ever-married women aged 15–24 years. The differences in vulnerability outcomes were assessed by calculating adjusted odds ratios (AORs) using logistic regression models. We found that 38.9% of ever-married women aged 15–24 reported marriage before age 18 years. Regression analyses showed that the likelihood of social vulnerabilities (low educational level, rural residence, and poverty) increased with younger marriage age. Additionally, women of earlier age at marriage were more likely to have lower antenatal care utilisation and pregnancy termination. These findings demonstrate child marriage creates a social and gendered vulnerability for girls with a major impact on health. Strict law enforcement, promoting sexual, and reproductive health rights for girls can help eliminate child marriage in Indonesia.