Jakarta (ANTARA) – The Ministry of Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection is strengthening the role of Family Learning Centers (Puspaga) and Regional Technical Units for Women and Child Protection (UPTD PPA) to prevent and handle child marriage.“We are doing this by strengthening the role of Puspaga and UPTD PPA, and by developing a monitoring system for the National Strategy for the Prevention of Child Marriage (Stranas PPA) based on cross-sector data integration,” said Deputy for Child Rights Fulfillment Pribudiarta Nur Sitepu said here on Friday.According to him, every application for marriage dispensation must be preceded by a comprehensive assessment of the child’s condition, covering psychological, health, educational, social, cultural, and economic aspects, including the identification of coercion or vulnerability factors.The assessment can be conducted by Puspaga or UPTD PPA and will serve as a recommendation for the court.“With such an assessment, the court gains a comprehensive picture of the child’s situation, so that decisions truly take into account short- and long-term risks to the child’s life,” Sitepu said.He emphasized that children have the right to proper care, education, and health services, as well as the right to determine their future free from coercion.“Therefore, efforts to prevent child marriage must continue to be strengthened through improved family caregiving, community education, the engagement of religious and traditional leaders, and the provision of responsive and easily accessible child protection services,” he said.The ministry also called on all stakeholders to work in synergy to protect Indonesian children.“We invite the central and regional governments, judicial institutions, civil society, the media, the business sector, and the wider community to not normalize the harmful practice of child marriage, and to ensure that every policy truly protects the rights and future of children,” Sitepu stressed.