​Open your eyes to child marriage practices, says new Indonesian campaign

Non-governmental organisation, Indonesian Family Planning Association has launched a thought-provoking campaign titled “​Open Your Eyes” to shed light on the practice of child marriage which is common in Indonesia and rest of the world.  Working with M&C Saatchi Indonesia, the campaign aims to generate awareness about a child’s right to education, and how early marriage prevents them from achieving their future potential.

It looks to send the message on letting children be children. The campaign was developed for a non-governmental organisation, Indonesian Family Planning Association, ​that works across 26 provinces in the country on issues such as women’s health, sexual rights and reproductive health, maternal mortality rate and child marriage. 

The move comes on the back of the Indonesia government’s commitment to end child marriages. Earlier in February 2020, the government revealed that reduction of child marriage is one of the targets set in the national mid-term development plan from 2020 to 2024. The Indonesian government also pledged to support the sustainable development goals set by the United Nations which has called for a global action to end the human rights violation by 2030.

According to UNICEF, one in nine married women in Indonesia were married as children. Research by UNICEF showed that girls in Indonesia are often married off early due to influence by deep-set religious beliefs, adherence to cultural norms and in part to overcome economic difficulties. In September last year, with an aim to curb child marriage, Indonesia’s parliament revised the country’s marriage law by increasing the eligibility age from three to 19.   

Anish Daryani, CEO of M&C Saatchi Indonesia, said the team is committed in putting its weight behind this social issue and showing its commitment to address child marriage in Indonesia by raising awareness about it. “​Child marriage deprives the girl child of a normal childhood and the basic right to education. It robs them off their innocence, and an opportunity to become contributors to the society at large. Society needs to nurture a culture, environment and practices which encourage kids to remain kids​,” Daryani added.  

Meanwhile, Dami Sidharta, co-founder and executive creative director, M&C Saatchi Indonesia said: “The idea came from the thought that if you keep your eyes closed to the issue, you are changing their life for the worse; you’re putting them in that situation; you’re ruining their childhood. Hence, we ask people to open their eyes to injustice happening to the girl child, which is hidden in plain sight.” 

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