secondary school, she is still permitted to take the examination, but many parents will not allow it. A principal of a junior secondary school in Banjarmasin noted that there are local policies in place that both girls and boys are not allowed to continue in school if married. In Sampang District, East Java, study respondents and locally available data indicated that rates of early marriage from junior to senior secondary school are about 10 percent and that married girls cannot return to formal school, but instead have to join a non-formal education program.

Despite the continued prevalence of child marriage particularly among girls, the field visits indicated that overall, the practice of child marriage is declining. For instance, in Bangkalan District, East Java, the principal of a junior secondary school noted that child marriage is an issue only in the most rural areas, and that though there is a stereotype of early marriage in the area, education has changed this and it is no longer a major concern. However, an education officer for Bangkalan District noted that school dropout is a problem in some parts of the district and that girls may marry as early as primary school. At a girls’ junior secondary _madrasah_ in Bangkalan, only 60 percent of students continue on to senior secondary and 40 percent drop out at age 16/17, most commonly either for marriage or because parents believe that girls do not need to attend school once they are already literate, according to teachers and school leadership interviewed for this study. A MoRA education officer for East Java noted that, in the past, early marriage was a problem at junior secondary school but that the trend is diminishing and there are only a few cases of junior secondary age girls getting married. They stated that in the past, people believed that a girl had to get married if she attracted a suitor, otherwise she might never marry, while currently child marriage occurs mainly for economic reasons.

Sporadic efforts have been made by local governments across the country to reduce child marriage, locally known as PUP/ _Pendewasaan Usia Pernikahan_ or age maturation for marriage (Muh Bahrul Ulum, 2016). For example, in West Nusa Tenggara, the governor issued Circular Letter No. 150/1138/Kun on PUP that recommended the minimum marital age for males and females as 21 years old. Another example is from Gunung Kidul District, Yogyakarta. The regent regulated the minimum marital age at 20 years. In the district of Kebumen, there are eight villages where children must avoid early marriage and the communities are not allowed to recommend early marriage. The Commission for the Protection of Indonesian Children (KPAI) has been supportive with a positive response to PUP efforts.

3.3.2. School Violence While girls’ education is more negatively impacted by early marriage than boys’, studies on school violence have found that boys experience greater levels of violence in any form at school than do girls (PLAN, 2015). Indonesia participated in the 2015 Global Student-based School Health Survey, which found that 24 percent of males and 18 percent of females had experienced bullying in school, with even higher numbers for having experienced violence in school (39 percent for males and 21 percent for females).<sup>30</sup> More recent data of the 2018 National Survey of Children and Teenagers’ (13-24 years old) Life Experience show 33 percent of males were victims of physical violence, while 20 percent of females reported the same experience.<sup>31</sup> The survey also explored other types of violence, including sexual-based violence and emotional/psychological violence. These categories show higher prevalence for females. About 6 percent of males and 9 percent of females reported they had experienced sexual-based violence. Higher numbers are recorded for emotional/psychological violence with 50 percent and 60 percent for males and females

> 30 <u>https://www.who.int/ncds/surveillance/gshs/GSHS_2015_Indonesia_Report_Bahasa.pdf</u>

> 31 <u>https://www.kemenpppa.go.id/index.php/page/read/29/2123/kemen-pppa-luncurkan-hasil-survei-nasionalpengalaman-hidup-anak-dan-remaja-snphar-tahun-2018</u>

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