To commemorate International Women’s Day, this joint Global Seminar hosted by ANU Indonesia Project brings together researchers to examine how legal reform can address child marriage, advance gender equality, and confront the persistent challenges of implementation in Indonesia.
Adrianna Bella (Curtin University) will open the seminar by revisiting the landmark 1974 Marriage Law reform, examining its role as a policy instrument to curb child marriage and what the evidence reveals about its impact on girls’ educational attainment and broader life outcomes.
The discussion will then turn to Dr Ni Luh Putu Maitra Agastya, Andrea Adhi, and Shaila Tieken (PUSKAPA), who will share findings from two PUSKAPA studies: an analysis of marriage dispensation cases (2022) and a qualitative research exploring the sociocultural dimensions of child marriage, marriage dispensations, and marriage registration in general (2025). The presentation will highlight drivers of child marriage, persistent barriers faced by those married as children, and policy takeaways to inform continued advocacy.
Time: 9:00-10:30am WIB (13:00-14:30pm AEDT)
Online on Zoom (no registration required): http://bit.ly/gs_indonesia
Read Bella’s research: Beyond the minimum: the impact of Indonesia’s Marriage Age Law on child marriage and education. Online: click here
Read about PUSKAPA’s research:
- Leaving no girls behind: inclusive ways to address child marriage in Indonesia (https://readabook.store/products/9789815104561C12)
- Meraih pengakuan: dilema pencatatan perkawinan anak di tengah norma agama dan adat (https://puskapa.org/blog/publikasi/6906/)
Speakers
Adrianna Bella
Adrianna Bella is currently a Research Associate at the ARC Centre of Excellence for The Elimination of Violence Against Women (CEVAW) at the Faculty of Business and Law, Curtin University, Perth, Australia. Her current work explores how formal and informal institutions play roles in the elimination of violence against women, particularly in the Indo-pacific regions.
Read Bella’s research: Beyond the minimum: the impact of Indonesia’s Marriage Age Law on child marriage and education. Online: click here
Ni Luh Putu Maitra Agastya
Ni Luh Putu Agastya currently serves as the director of the Centre on Child Protection and Wellbeing, Universitas Indonesia (PUSKAPA) and a lecturer at the Department of Social Welfare. Her research focuses on child welfare systems and social welfare policies for vulnerable children and families, particularly in Indonesia.
Andrea Adhi
Andrea Andjaringtyas Adhi is an independent public policy researcher collaborating with leading research institutions and NGOs in Indonesia and the region. Her research focuses on economic and social policies related to children’s well-being, gender equality, and disability and social inclusion (GEDSI), and she brings over a decade of experience at TNP2K, J-PAL Southeast Asia, and PUSKAPA.
Shaila Tieken
Shaila Tieken is a Senior Research Associate at PUSKAPA (Centre on Child Protection and Wellbeing UI). Her research bridges public health and criminology, focusing on violence prevention and juvenile justice. Her recent work explores the experiences of young women who marry in the context of Indonesia’s child marriage prevention and marriage registration policies.
Slides and video for past seminars:
