Today on the 5th of July 2017, Koalisi 18+ has formally sent a letter to the Indonesian government to co-sponsor the UN Human Rights Council Resolution No. A/HRC/35/L.26 related to Child, Early and Forced Marriage in Humanitarian Settings as a sign of Indonesia’s commitment to human rights. Koalisi 18+ requested the government of Indonesia through the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Indonesia Permanent Representative to the United Nations Office, Mr. Hasan Kleib, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia, Mrs. Retno Marsudi, to take an active role in the Resolution in order to save the next generation of Indonesia. Currently, Indonesia is listed as the 7th position in the world as a country with the highest child marriage rate.
On the agenda of the 35th Human Rights Council Meeting on 22 June 2017, Joaquín Alexander Maza Martelli as the president of the UN human rights council has adopted the Draft Resolution A/HRC/35/L.26 under Agenda Item: 3 – Promotion and protection of all human rights, civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights, including the right to development. The draft Resolution that has been supported by more than 85 countries is a strategic step to strengthen the efforts to prevent and eliminate child marriage.
The main substance of the Resolution A/HRC/35/L.26 is it recognizes that child marriage is a human rights violation and encourages the states to strengthen the efforts to prevent and eliminate child marriage practices in humanitarian settings. The situation of the Humanitarian Settings in accordance to this Resolution covers humanitarian emergencies, situations of forced displacement, armed conflict and natural disaster. These situations make it difficult for children to exercise their rights in the form of the right to education, the right to the enjoyment of the highest standard of health, including sexual and reproductive health.
The adopted resolution is available for other countries to agree and co-sponsor the Resolution until Monday,10 July 2017. The contents of this Resolution have been translated into 6 official UN languages and can be downloaded on the official website of the Office of High Commissioner for Human Rights
Koalisi 18+ believes that if the Government of the Republic of Indonesia takes this initiative, it will be a boost for other countries to do the same and to be an example for the neighboring countries in Southeast Asia that still have not yet co-sponsored this Resolution.
It should also be noted that the Koalisi 18+, a civil society network advocating on the elimination of child marriage practices, is currently seeking to increase the marriage age for women in Indonesia through a Judicial Review procedure of the Article 7(1) of Marriage Law No.1 of 1974 in the case number of 22/PUU/XV/2017 which is currently awaiting the plenary results for the 1st trial in the Constitutional Court.
