The increasing prevalence of early marriage in Indonesia is a problem that must be addressed immediately. According to Law Number 16 of 2019 concerning Marriage, early marriage means a marriage that is carried out by the bride and groom at an age below the conformity of applicable regulations, namely at least 19 years.

Early marriage does not only have an impact on physical health, but also has an impact on mental health. This is exacerbated by the magnitude of the risks that can be caused to mothers and babies born in these early marriages. The potential for maternal and infant mortality will be greater, because the ovaries and endometrium of the mother are not functioning properly. Stress on the surrounding environment, poor pre-pregnancy nutrition, and even the risk of cervical cancer and miscarriage also haunt teenage girls’ pregnancies with minimal preparation.

High risk can not only occur to the mother, but also to the baby being born. Babies can be born prematurely (less than 37 weeks), and babies have low birth weight because young pregnant women have not been able to provide a good supply of food from their bodies to the fetus in their womb. In addition, there is also a risk that the baby will experience congenital defects due to the immature condition of the egg cells at the age of less than 20 years and a lack of knowledge.

In line with the government’s program to prevent early marriage, through the University of Indonesia’s community care grant program, students of the UI Faculty of Nursing (FoN UI) and students of the UI Faculty of Engineering (FT UI) collaborated to carry out the Youth Peer Counseling Ambassador Movement as an Effort to Prevent Early Marriage (GERCANI) ) in Garut Regency, West Java on 3-4 August 2023. More than 300 students from SMA Negeri 2 Garut participated in this event.

The Garut area was chosen as the service area because it is a district in West Java Province with the highest early marriage rate (Rosanti et al., 2020). In 2021, the age of first marriage (UKP) for women in Garut is under 18 years, while UKP for women in West Java is 20 years. Reporting from Indasari (n.d., quoted in Alhamidi, 2023), there were 570 early marriages in Garut Regency in 2022.

The GERCANI program consists of seminars on the importance of reproductive health and the impact of early marriage to increase awareness and knowledge of SMAN 2 Garut students about the dangers of early marriage without proper preparation and knowledge.

Students are educated about the dangers of early marriage and how to prevent early marriage. Students are expected to understand the minimum age limit for marriage, because age affects the maturity of one’s organs and psychological readiness. Students are also educated about the risks that can occur if they are “desperate” to make the decision to marry early. And another important thing is the role of parents, government, organizations and communities to prevent early marriage.

In a series of events, the election of GERCANI Ambassadors was held as an effort so that the early marriage prevention program through peer counseling can run in a sustainable manner.

“During the GERCANI seminar, I was very enthusiastic about participating in the event. The material presented can be understood by teenagers at our age. We can know more about what early marriage is, its negative effects, and how to prevent it. Resource persons can change our mindset as students to prevent early marriage from happening. There is also a poster competition which makes the activity very exciting and more enthusiastic,” said Tri Ayu Wulandari, one of the seminar participants.

This activity was fully supported by Mr. Rozak Mulyana, S.Pd., M.Pd as the school principal, Mr/Mrs teacher, and administrative staff of SMAN 2 Garut. Prevention of early marriage requires cooperation and good coordination from individuals, families and communities.

In his remarks, Rozak said, “The GERCANI program is in accordance with our school’s program to campaign for healthy schools. In addition, the theme raised is very related to the problems that occur in Garut. Hopefully this program can be a form of good cooperation between SMAN 2 Garut and the University of Indonesia to form a quality generation of the nation.”

This activity was chaired by Nabila Yuriska (FoN UI) and members consisted of Agnes Juliesca Wisnumoerti (FoN UI), Alfisyah Salwa (FoN UI), Arfadhila Pyrenadi Adam (FT UI), Asma Mabrukah (FoN UI), Erika Marsha Kurniawan (FoN UI ), Fariidah Haniifah (FoN UI), Putri Alifah Hendrawan (FoN UI), and Rizkya Wimahavinda Kardono (FoN UI) as well as mentors by Ns. Suryane Sulistiana Susanti, S.Kep, M.A, Ph.D.

“Hopefully this activity can run in a sustainable manner so that it can contribute to reducing the incidence of early marriage through increasing the level of awareness and knowledge of youth on issues that are still taboo in this society. It is hoped that students who take part in the activity will act as agents of change in expanding this health information and education so that they are able to contribute as useful human beings, at least for the people around them or even for Garut Regency.” Close Lilies.