Health Threats Reply to Early Acceptance

The age limit for marriage in Indonesia, which is managed in Article 7 paragraph 1 of Law Number 1 of 1974, states that the minimum age is 19 years for men and 16 years for women. Unfortunately, there are still many people who carry out early marriages under the age set by the government.

Early marriage is prohibited because it can harm both mentally and physically. What are the threats of early marriage contract for health?

What is the reason for a person to implement an early consent?

Early marriage, according to UNICEF (United Nations Children's Fund), is still being carried out for several reasons. Factors that influence it include:

• Poverty
• Low level of education
• The assumption that marriage is a source of sustenance to receive money
• The assumption that getting married is able to maintain the good name and honor of the family
• Social norms
• Follow the rules of culture and religion
• Inadequate marriage laws

In the second marriage of the bride and groom who are still old, the most disadvantaged is actually the woman. The reason is, this early marriage contract will sacrifice the physical progress or maybe the mental progress of women. Getting pregnant too young and dropping out of school can limit women's career opportunities. Early marriage also increases the risk of domestic violence.

Danger in terms of physical health

Getting pregnant at a very young age can increase the health risks to women and their babies. This is because the body is not ready to get pregnant and give birth. You who are still very young are still experiencing development and growth, so if you are pregnant, your body's growth and development will be disrupted. Generally, there are four conditions of pregnancy that often arise due to early marriage, namely:

1. High blood pressure

Pregnant at a very young age has a high risk of rising blood pressure. A person may suffer from preeclampsia, which is characterized by high blood pressure, the presence of protein in the urine, and other signs of organ damage. Medication must be taken to control blood pressure and prevent complications, but at the same time it can also interfere with the growth of the baby in the womb.

2. Anemia

Getting pregnant at a reasonable age can also cause anemia during pregnancy. Anemia is caused by a lack of iron consumed by pregnant women. That's why, to prevent this, pregnant women are recommended to routinely take blood-added tablets of at least 90 tablets during the pregnancy period.

Anemia during pregnancy can increase the risk of the baby being born prematurely and having difficulty giving birth. Anemia that is very severe during pregnancy can also have an effect on the development of the baby in the womb.

3. Babies born prematurely and LBW

The incidence of premature birth increases in pregnancies at a very young age. These premature babies generally have low birth weight (LBW) because in fact they are not ready to be born (at the age of less than 37 weeks of gestation). Premature babies are at risk for suffering from impaired breathing, digestion, vision, cognitive, and other dilemmas.

4. Mother died during childbirth

According to the National Health Service, women under the age of 18 who become pregnant and give birth are at risk of dying during childbirth. The reason is, at this young age their bodies are immature and physically ready to give birth. In addition, their narrow pelvis because it has not increased properly can also be the cause of the baby's death at birth.

There are many other health problems during pregnancy and childbirth in adolescence
Physically, the child or adult giving birth is at risk for death during delivery and is particularly vulnerable to pregnancy-related injuries, such as obstetric fistulas.

Not only that, married women often get social pressure. One of them is the matter of being pregnant or not. Not infrequently this is also used as a place to show self-fertility in the population.

In addition, when married to an older husband, this can make it difficult for women to express their expectations in sexual cooperation. Especially when you want to get satisfaction in having sex and planning to use family planning.

As a result, women are more likely to experience early pregnancies which can lead to various long-term health complications and in some cases even end of life.

Dangers from a mental health perspective

Cases of early marriage contracts often cause psychological or mental health problems for women. One of the threats is that young women are vulnerable to becoming victims of domestic violence (KDRT) and they do not have any insight on how to be free from that violence.

Domestic violence often occurs in early marriage because the reason is that the two married couples are not mentally prepared to face the problems that arise. In addition to wives who experience violence, children in this early marriage contract are also at risk of becoming victims of domestic violence.

It is a fact that children who are witnesses to violence in their homes will grow up with learning difficulties and have limited social skills. They also often offer a bad attitude or risk suffering from stress, PTSD, or severe anxiety disorders.

Worse yet, this influence will be felt the hardest by children who are still very young. Research from UNICEF also shows that domestic violence is more common in homes with young children than in minors or older adults.

How to prevent the dangers of early consent?

To prevent the threat of health in return for early marriage, education can be one of the things that plays an important role. Education is able to broaden the knowledge of children and puberty enough to help convince them that marriage must be carried out at the right time and age. Marriage is not a compulsion nor is it a way to escape poverty.

Education is also solely not only to be educated in subjects only. Education can add insight to children to be skilled in life, spread careers, and dreams. The most important thing, education is able to provide information about the body and reproductive system themselves when they are about to get married.