Girl, 12, Forced to Marry 60 Year Old Man in Medan
Jakarta Globe, March 24, 2010
Child protection officials say a 12-year-old old girl in Medan, North Sumatra was forced to marry a 60-year-old man against her wishes after being beaten by her father.
Bunga (not her real name) reported her plight to the Medan office of Indonesia Child Protection Commission (KPAID) on Tuesday. Accompanied by her 28-year-old sister, Bunga said her parents forced her to marry the man in October 2009. He allegedly had been married five times already and promised to give her father a house and a motorbike in exchange for Bunga.
The older sister said Bunga was married by a cleric in front of their parents with a Rp 100 thousand ($10.94) dowry. She said Bunga refused the marriage at first but their father beat her severely with a leather belt and punched her in the head. According to the older sister, they decided to come to KPAID after a police report they filed four months ago had no effect.
The chairman of Pusaka Indonesia Foundation, of which KPAID is a member, promised to pursue the complaint.
“We will sit with the police and discuss what has been hampering them from investigating the case thoroughly. We will find solutions together; we are good friends with the police,” said Eddy Iksan.
“Our first priority is to rescue the child.” he added. “Does she still go to school? How is her mental condition? Have there been signs of trauma? We will find out whether she needs a safe house or a mentor whom she can trust. To heal her mental wounds, it is important to provide constant companion. We must not abandon the victim while we are pushing the case legally.”
He added that the organization was working to educate people that underage marriage is a form of physical, mental and sexual exploitation of children.
JG
0 comments:
Post a Comment