One problem many Indonesian teenagers face is teen pregnancy, brought about by either premarital sex or young marriages (not to mention a lack of sex education in public schools).
To combat this, in conjunction with National Family Day, 22,253 students from South Tangerang pledged to remain celibate until they get married at an appropriate age yesterday (though somehow we doubt all of them were there voluntarily).
“We, the teens of South Tangerang, pledge to delay marriage until at least 21 years old for women and 25 years old for men. We will also stay away from premarital sex, brawls, and drugs,” the students pledged, as observed by Metro TV yesterday.
The sheer number of students taking the pledge at the same time was a new record in the Indonesian Museum of Records (MURI).
According to the Indonesian Demography and Health Survey (SDKI), in 2007, 26 in 100 Indonesians married between the ages of 15 and 19. That figure rose in 2012 to 32 in 100. This leads to a high teenage pregnancy rate in Indonesia, specifically 48 in 1,000 total pregnancies.
According to the National Demography and Family Planning Agency (BKKBN), teenage pregnancies, either by premarital sex or in young marriages, contributes to high maternal maternity rate in Indonesia. Children born to young parents of low socioeconomic standing are also at risk of improper development into adulthood.
