From Reactive Regulation to Preventive Governance: A Pancasila-Based Legal Framework for Child Marriage Prevention in Central Lombok
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.51278/bce.v6i1.2257Keywords:
Child Marriage Prevention, Adolescent Pregnancy, Socio-Legal Governance Pancasila FrameworkAbstract
This study advances a Pancasila-based preventive governance framework for addressing child marriage by integrating empirical evidence from adolescent pregnancy data in Central Lombok, Indonesia. Using an empirical socio-legal research design, the study analyzes population-based administrative records of pregnancies and childbirths among girls under 19 years of age collected from all primary health centers (puskesmas) between 2022 and 2024. Adolescent pregnancy is employed as a policy-relevant empirical proxy for child marriage, reflecting the close structural linkage between underage unions and early childbearing in low- and middle-income contexts. The findings demonstrate that while the overall incidence of adolescent pregnancy declined after 2022, the childbirth-to-pregnancy ratio increased steadily, indicating the persistence of social and institutional mechanisms that normalize early marriage following pregnancy. Marked spatial inequalities were also identified, with specific health service regions consistently bearing a disproportionate burden of adolescent pregnancy and childbirth. These empirical patterns reveal that Indonesia’s minimum-age marriage regulation continues to function predominantly as a reactive legal instrument, addressing consequences rather than preventing risk exposure. Normatively, the study argues that this condition reflects a failure of legal governance to substantively safeguard children’s dignity and realize social justice. By reconstructing child marriage prevention through the Pancasila principles of humanity, social justice, participatory governance, and social solidarity, the study proposes a preventive legal framework that operationalizes routine health data as an early-warning system, strengthens community participation, and enables region-based governance interventions. Methodologically, the study demonstrates how administrative health data can be transformed into actionable legal indicators, while substantively contributing to socio-legal scholarship on preventive governance and offering policy-relevant insights for sustainable child marriage prevention in plural legal systems.
References
Abdallah, A., Mohammed, M. O. M., & Mohamed, A. (2023). Early marriage and its association with the socioeconomic and sociocultural factors of women in Sudan: A predictive model. The Open Public Health Journal, 16, e230505. HYPERLINK "https://doi.org/10.2174/18749445-v16-e230505-2022-167" https://doi.org/10.2174/18749445-v16-e230505-2022-167
Asshiddiqie, J. (2020). Constitutional interpretation in Indonesia. Beijing Law Review, 11(1), 1–15. HYPERLINK "https://doi.org/10.4236/blr.2020.111008" https://doi.org/10.4236/blr.2020.111008
Alanyo, E. M., Masereka, E. M., & Bbaale, E. (2025). Photovoice experiences of teenage mothers with teenage pregnancy in Uganda. PLOS ONE. HYPERLINK "https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0335413" https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0335413
Amoadu, M., Ansah, E. W., Sarfo, J. O., & Agyemang-Duah, W. (2022). Sociocultural factors influencing adolescent pregnancy in sub-Saharan Africa: A systematic review. BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth, 22, 915. HYPERLINK "https://doi.org/10.1186/s12884-022-05172-2" https://doi.org/10.1186/s12884-022-05172-2
Amoadu, M., Ansah, E. W., Sarfo, J. O., & Agyemang-Duah, W. (2022). Sociocultural factors influencing adolescent pregnancy in sub-Saharan Africa: A systematic review. BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth, 22, 915. HYPERLINK "https://doi.org/10.1186/s12884-022-05172-2" https://doi.org/10.1186/s12884-022-05172-2
Bhatta, D. N., Pathak, R., & Joshi, D. (2025). Understanding the determinants of adolescent pregnancy in developing countries: Evidence from demographic health surveys. Population, Health and Development. HYPERLINK "https://doi.org/10.1002/puh2.70041" https://doi.org/10.1002/puh2.70041
Bhowmik, J., Biswas, R., & Hossain, S. (2021). Child marriage and adolescent motherhood: A nationwide vulnerability for women in Bangladesh. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(8), 4030. HYPERLINK "https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18084030" https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18084030
Banerjee, A., Duflo, E., Glennerster, R., & Kinnan, C. (2020). The miracle of microfinance? Evidence from a randomized evaluation. American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, 7(1), 22–53. HYPERLINK "https://doi.org/10.1257/app.20130533" https://doi.org/10.1257/app.20130533
Banlanjo, N. M. (2022). Cultural pedogamy: Towards an eco-cultural theory of early (child) marriage. European Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences, 2(6). HYPERLINK "https://doi.org/10.24018/ejsocial.2022.2.6.334" https://doi.org/10.24018/ejsocial.2022.2.6.334
Bedner, A. (2016). Autonomy of law in Indonesia. Recht der Werkelijkheid, 37(3), 10–36. HYPERLINK "https://doi.org/10.5553/rdw/138064242016037003002" https://doi.org/10.5553/rdw/138064242016037003002
Bedner, A., & Vel, J. A. C. (2019). An analytical framework for empirical legal research. Law & Society Review, 53(4), 1–25. HYPERLINK "https://doi.org/10.1111/lasr.12410" https://doi.org/10.1111/lasr.12410
Biswas, R. K., Khan, J. R., & Kabir, E. (2019). Trend of child marriage in Bangladesh: A reflection on significant socioeconomic factors. Children and Youth Services Review, 104, 104384. HYPERLINK "https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2019.06.017" https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2019.06.017
Cameron, L., Contreras Suarez, D. & Wieczkiewicz, S. (2023). Child marriage: using the Indonesian family life survey to examine the lives of women and men who married at an early age. Rev Econ Household 21, 725–756. HYPERLINK "https://doi.org/10.1007/s11150-022-09616-8" https://doi.org/10.1007/s11150-022-09616-8
Coast, E., Mwali, P., & Soremekun, S. (2021). “If she’s pregnant then that means that her dreams fade away”: Exploring adolescent pregnancy and motherhood in Zambia. Journal of International Development, 33(8), 1454–1472. HYPERLINK "https://doi.org/10.1002/jid.3577" https://doi.org/10.1002/jid.3577
Damayanti, R., Fatimah, S., & Pratama, A. (2025). Legal protection for adolescents against reproductive health risks related to child marriage. Malaysian Journal of Nursing. HYPERLINK "https://doi.org/10.31674/mjn.2025.v16i04.028" https://doi.org/10.31674/mjn.2025.v16i04.028
Dadras, O., & Nakayama, T. (2021). Child marriage and adverse reproductive outcomes: A systematic review. Journal of Adolescent Health, 69(4), 569–578. HYPERLINK "https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2021.05.017" https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2021.05.017
de Groot, R., Kuunyem, M. Y., & Palermo, T. (2018). Child marriage and associated outcomes in northern Ghana: A cross-sectional study. BMC Public Health, 18, 285. HYPERLINK "https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-018-5166-6" https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-018-5166-6
Efevbera, Y. & Bhabha, J. (2020). Defining and deconstructing girl child marriage and applications to global public health. BMC Public Health, 20(1),1547. HYPERLINK "https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-020-09545-0" https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-020-09545-0
Fan, S., & Koski, A. (2022). Child marriage and adolescent birth: Evidence from low- and middle-income countries. Demographic Research, 46, 1349–1380. HYPERLINK "https://doi.org/10.4054/DemRes.2022.46.45" https://doi.org/10.4054/DemRes.2022.46.45
Finuliyah, R., Setyanti, A., & Widodo, A. (2025). Determinants of food insecurity: The role of child marriage in Indonesia. Journal of Asian Economics, 85, 101610. HYPERLINK "https://doi.org/10.1016/j.asieco.2024.101610" https://doi.org/10.1016/j.asieco.2024.101610
Fitria, M., Laksono, A. D., Syahri, I. M., Wulandari, R. D., Matahari, R., & Astuti, Y. (2024). Education role in early marriage prevention: evidence from Indonesia’s rural areas. BMC Public Health, 24(1), 3323. HYPERLINK "https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-024-20775-4" https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-024-20775-4
Goers, M., Hunersen, K., Karim, L. S., Jeffery, A., Zedan, A., Robinson, C., & Metzler, J. (2022). Child marriage among displaced populations: A 2019 study in Kurdistan Region of Iraq. BMC Public Health, 22, 13220. HYPERLINK "https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-022-13220-x" https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-022-13220-x
Griffin, S., Melo, J., & Rahman, A. (2023). The role of gender norms in shaping adolescent girls’ reproductive choices. Adolescents, 3(2), 245–260. HYPERLINK "https://doi.org/10.3390/adolescents3020024" https://doi.org/10.3390/adolescents3020024
Habib, S., Karim, H., & Lehri, Z. A. (2025). The impact of climate change on women’s nutrition and food security in Pakistan. Policy Journal of Social Science Review, 3(10), 76-90. HYPERLINK "https://policyjssr.com/index.php/PJSSR/article/view/526" https://policyjssr.com/index.php/PJSSR/article/view/526
Heise, L., Greene, M. E., Opper, N., Stavropoulou, M., Harper, C., Nascimento, M., ... & Gupta, G. R. (2019). Gender inequality and restrictive gender norms: framing the challenges to health. The Lancet, 393(10189), 2440-2454. HYPERLINK "https://doi.org/10.1016/s0140-6736(19)30652-x" https://doi.org/10.1016/s0140-6736(19)30652-x
Horii, H. (2020). A blind spot in international human rights framework: a space between tradition and modernity within the child marriage discourse. The International Journal of Human Rights, 24(8), 1057-1079. HYPERLINK "https://doi.org/10.1080/13642987.2019.1690468" https://doi.org/10.1080/13642987.2019.1690468
Hotchkiss, D. R., Godha, D., Gage, A. J., & Cappa, C. (2016). Risk factors associated with the practice of child marriage among Roma girls in Serbia. BMC International Health and Human Rights, 16, 6. HYPERLINK "https://doi.org/10.1186/s12914-016-0081-3" https://doi.org/10.1186/s12914-016-0081-3
Hunersen, K., Attal, B., Jeffery, A., Metzler, J., Alkibsi, T., Elnakib, S., & Robinson, W. C. (2021). Child marriage in Yemen: A mixed methods study in ongoing conflict and displacement. Journal of Refugee Studies, 34(4), 3796–3822. HYPERLINK "https://doi.org/10.1093/jrs/feaa144" https://doi.org/10.1093/jrs/feaa144
Hunersen, K., Jeffery, A., Karim, L. S., Gambir, K., Metzler, J., Zedan, A., & Robinson, W. C. (2024). Child marriage and displacement: A qualitative study of displaced and host populations in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. Journal of Refugee Studies. HYPERLINK "https://doi.org/10.1093/jrs/feae020" https://doi.org/10.1093/jrs/feae020
Laurenzi, C., Toska, E., & Cluver, L. (2023). Key normative, legal and policy considerations for addressing child marriage and adolescent pregnancy. Global Public Health. HYPERLINK "https://doi.org/10.1080/26410397.2023.2249696" https://doi.org/10.1080/26410397.2023.2249696
Khan, M. A., Haque, M. A., Tariqujjaman, M., Sarmin, M., Ahmed, T., & Mahfuz, M. (2024). Influence of child marriage on nutritional status among children in Bangladesh. Reproductive, Female and Child Health, 2(1). HYPERLINK "https://doi.org/10.1002/rfc2.102" https://doi.org/10.1002/rfc2.102
Kok, M., Kakal, T., Kassegne, A. B., Hidayana, I., Munthali, A., Menon, J., Pires, P., Gitau, T., & van der Kwaak, A. (2023). Drivers of child marriage in specific settings of Ethiopia, Indonesia, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique and Zambia. BMC Public Health, 23, 15697. HYPERLINK "https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-023-15697-6" https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-023-15697-6
Lowe, H., Kenny, L., Hassan, R., Bacchus, L., Njoroge, P., Dagadu, N. A., Hossain, M., & Cislaghi, B. (2022). ‘If she gets married when she is young, she will give birth to many kids’: A qualitative study of child marriage practices amongst nomadic pastoralist communities in Kenya. Culture, Health & Sexuality, 24(6), 886–901. HYPERLINK "https://doi.org/10.1080/13691058.2021.1893821" https://doi.org/10.1080/13691058.2021.1893821
McCleary-Sills, J., Hanmer, L., Parsons, J., & Klugman, J. (2021). Child marriage: A critical barrier to girls’ schooling and gender equality. World Development, 137, 105178. HYPERLINK "https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2020.105178" https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2020.105178
Mrayan, L., & Obeisat, S. (2021). The lived experience of early marriage in Jordan. SAGE Open, 11(4). HYPERLINK "https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440211048895" https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440211048895
Mwansa, C. (2023). Revisiting the endogeneity of adolescent pregnancy and early marriage. Journal of Biosocial Science, 55(3), 421–437. HYPERLINK "https://doi.org/10.1017/S0021932022000123" https://doi.org/10.1017/S0021932022000123
Muyonga, J., Kagurusi, P., & Ninsiima, A. (2024). Sociocultural drivers and barriers to addressing repeat adolescent pregnancy in sub-Saharan Africa. African Journal of Reproductive Health, 28(12). HYPERLINK "https://doi.org/10.29063/ajrh2024/v28i12.16" https://doi.org/10.29063/ajrh2024/v28i12.16
Mwansa, M. (2023). Revisiting the endogeneity of adolescent pregnancy and early marriage in developing countries. The International Journal of Applied Research. HYPERLINK "https://doi.org/10.21522/tijar.2014.10.02.art004" https://doi.org/10.21522/tijar.2014.10.02.art004
Neal, S., Channon, A. A., & Chintsanya, J. (2021). The impact of child marriage on maternal and child health outcomes in low- and middle-income countries. BMJ Global Health. HYPERLINK "https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjgh-2021-006796" https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjgh-2021-006796
Pope, D. H., McMullen, H., Baschieri, A., Philipose, A., Udeh, C., Diallo, J., & McCoy, D. (2023). What is the current evidence for the relationship between the climate and environmental crises and child marriage? A scoping review. Global public health, 18(1), 2095655. HYPERLINK "https://doi.org/10.1080/17441692.2022.2095655" https://doi.org/10.1080/17441692.2022.2095655
Pietras, J., Jarząbek-Bielecka, G., & Mizgier, M. (2024). Adolescent pregnancy: Medical, legal and social issues. Journal of Maternal-Fetal & Neonatal Medicine. HYPERLINK "https://doi.org/10.1080/14767058.2024.2391490" https://doi.org/10.1080/14767058.2024.2391490
Pourtaheri, A., Tavakoli Sany, S. B., Aghaee, M. A., Ahangari, H., & Peyman, N. (2023). Prevalence and factors associated with child marriage: A systematic review. BMC Women’s Health, 23, 264. HYPERLINK "https://doi.org/10.1186/s12905-023-02634-3" https://doi.org/10.1186/s12905-023-02634-3
Raj, A., Dehingia, N., Singh, A. K., McDougal, L., & McAuley, J. (2020). Application of machine learning to understand child marriage in India. SSM – Population Health, 12, 100687. HYPERLINK "https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssmph.2020.100687" https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssmph.2020.100687
Roy, A., & Chouhan, P. (2022). Exploring the socioeconomic factors associated with girl child marriage and its impact on pregnancy outcomes. Indian Journal of Community Medicine, 47(1), 8–11. HYPERLINK "https://doi.org/10.4103/ijcm.ijcm_7_21" https://doi.org/10.4103/ijcm.ijcm_7_21
Rumble, L., Peterman, A., Irdiana, N., Triyana, M., & Minnick, E. (2018). An empirical exploration of female child marriage determinants in Indonesia. BMC Public Health, 18, 407. HYPERLINK "https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-018-5313-0" https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-018-5313-0
Sekine, K., & Carter, D. J. (2019). The effect of child marriage on the utilization of maternal health care in low- and middle-income countries. PLOS ONE, 14(1), e0210121. HYPERLINK "https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0210121" https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0210121
Sekine, K., & Carter, D. J. (2019). The effect of child marriage on the utilization of maternal health care in low- and middle-income countries. Health Policy and Planning, 34(3), 180–189. HYPERLINK "https://doi.org/10.1093/heapol/czz005" https://doi.org/10.1093/heapol/czz005
Svanemyr, J., Chandra-Mouli, V., Raj, A., Travers, E., & Sundaram, L. (2020). Research priorities on ending child marriage and supporting married girls. Reproductive Health, 17(1), 1–10. HYPERLINK "https://doi.org/10.1186/s12978-020-0852-1" https://doi.org/10.1186/s12978-020-0852-1 .
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Abdul Wahab, Yorman
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
