Hello CIMSA! CIMSA UNRI successfully held SCHEMA (Stop Children Marriage) on Sunday, December 5, 2023. SCHEMA was held offline at Car Free Day (CFD) Pekanbaru from 07.00 – 09.00 WIB in commemoration of International Women’s Day 2023.
SCHEMA is held by CIMSA UNRI because based on a research report by the Center for the Study and Advocacy for Protection and Quality of Life for Children (PUSKAPA) with UNICEF, the Central Statistics Agency (BPS), and the National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas) in 2020 based on population, Indonesia is ranked the 10th highest number of child marriages in the world. The research report stated that around 1,220,900 Indonesian children experienced children marriage. Throughout 2022, the Pekanbaru Religious Court recorded as many as 944 children in Riau applying for children marriage dispensation. This is an effort for those who want to get married but are not old enough. Public Relations of the Pekanbaru High Religious Court, Muhammad Yusar revealed that there were several factors underlying the dispensation of marriage. Among them marriage is not sanctioned, pregnant first, and promiscuity.
Before the SCHEMA activity was held, CIMSA UNRI held pre-activity training related to basic knowledge about Children Marriage. The training was provided by a CIMSA UNRI trainer, Syabrina Adiguna as a PETRA CIMSA UNRI. The training contains information about early children marriage, starting from the definition of children marriage, conditions of children marriage in Indonesia, the impact of children marriage, how to prevent children marriage in society, the government’s role in helping prevent children marriage, as well as the role of the community/medical students in helping to prevent children marriage. The top event event was held at CFD on Sunday, where we conducted interviews with visitors regarding their responses to children marriage. This was followed by delivering material on early marriage from SCORP and SCORA members in the form of a ground campaign.