Depok, August 12th, 2023. The increasing prevalence of early marriage in Indonesia is a problem that must be addressed immediately. This is because early marriage does not only have an impact on physical health, but also the mental health of mothers and children. To prevent cases of early marriage, through the Community Care Grant Program, the Universitas Indonesia (UI) conducted the “Adolescent Peer Counseling Ambassador Movement as an Effort to Prevent Early Marriage (GERCANI)” program in Garut Regency, West Java, on 3rd–4th August 2023. This event was attended by more than 300 students of SMA Negeri 2 Garut.
The GERCANI program was run by a Service Team chaired by Nabila Yuriska, a student at the Faculty of Nursing (FIK), and guided by Ns. Suryane Sulistiana Susanti, S.Kep., M.A., Ph.D. The members involved included Agnes Juliesca Wisnumoerti, Alfisyah Salwa, Asma Mabrukah, Erika Marsha Kurniawan, Fariidah Haniifah, Putri Alifah Hendrawan, and Rizkya Wimahavinda Kardono from FIK; and Arfadhila Pyrenadi Adam from the Faculty of Engineering.
Ns. Suryane Sulistiana hoped that this activity can run in a sustainable manner so that UI can contribute to reducing the incidence of early marriage. She said, “By increasing the level of awareness and knowledge of youth on the issue of early marriage, students are expected to act as agents of change in expanding health information and education. Apart from that, they will be able to contribute as a person, at least for the people around them or even for Garut Regency.”
The Service Team chose Garut as the service area because it is a district in West Java Province with the highest early marriage rate (Rosanti et al., 2020). In 2021, the age of first marriage (UKP) for women in Garut was under 18 years old, while UKP for women in West Java was 20 years old. Meanwhile, in 2022, there were 570 early marriages in Garut Regency. Therefore, to increase awareness and knowledge of SMAN 2 Garut students regarding the dangers of early marriage, the Service Team held a seminar on the importance of reproductive health and the impact of early marriage.
At the seminar, students were provided with knowledge about the dangers of early marriage, how to prevent it, and what risks occur if someone is “desperate” to marry early. That way, students are expected to know the minimum age for a woman to be physically and psychologically ready to marry. Students are also given an understanding that there are big risks that can be felt by mothers and babies in cases of early marriage.
The potential for maternal death in early marriage is greater because the ovaries and endometrium haven’t fully functioned properly. Mothers are also prone to experiencing stress from the surrounding environment, obtaining poor pre-pregnancy nutrition, and have a risk of cervical cancer and miscarriage. Apart from mothers, babies born from early marriages are also prone to being premature (less than 37 weeks) and having low weight. Babies also have a risk of experiencing birth defects due to the immature condition of the mother’s egg cells.
In this activity, the selection of GERCANI Ambassadors was also held so that the early marriage prevention program through peer counseling could run in a sustainable manner. The Principal of SMA Negeri 2 Garut, Rozak Mulyana, S.Pd., M.Pd., hoped that the collaboration between SMAN 2 Garut and UI can continue so that this contribution will have an impact on society.
“The GERCANI program is in accordance with the school’s mission to campaign for healthy schools. The theme raised is very related to the problems that occur in Garut. Hopefully this program can be a form of good cooperation between SMAN 2 Garut and the Universitas Indonesia in order to form a high-quality generation of the nation,” said Rozak.
Meanwhile, Tri Ayu Wulandari as a seminar participant revealed that during GERCANI activities, she was very enthusiastic about participating in the event. She said, “The material presented can be understood by teenagers our age. We can learn more about early marriage, its negative effects, and how to prevent it. Keynote speakers can also change our mindset as students to prevent early marriage from happening. Apart from that, there is a poster competition which makes the activity even more exciting and more enthusiastic.”
