Legal Pluralism and Cultural Legitimacy: Reframing Sasak Customary Law to Prevent Child Marriage in Lombok

Summary & Objectives

The study aimed to examine how Sasak customary law (awiq-awiq) and religious authority shape the persistence of child marriage in Lombok and how these systems might instead be mobilised to prevent it. It sought to analyse the interaction between customary norms, national child protection laws and local governance, and to develop a culturally embedded integration model that aligns Sasak traditions with Indonesia’s legal framework on minimum age of marriage.

Findings

he study finds that child marriage in Lombok is sustained by entrenched socio-cultural norms around family honour, the merarik kodeq elopement tradition, economic insecurity and the strong moral authority of Kyai and Tuan Guru, who often legitimise early unions. National laws that set the minimum marriage age at 19 and provincial regulations to prevent child marriage have limited effect because they are perceived as externally imposed, are undermined by widespread use of religious court dispensations and are weakly enforced in rural areas.

At the same time, the research documents a growing group of customary and religious leaders who are beginning to reinterpret awiq-awiq in light of health, educational and religious concerns, and who use village forums (musyawarah desa), schools, pesantren and civil society partnerships as spaces to negotiate alignment between formal law and local wisdom. These dynamics show that legal pluralism in Lombok both entrenches child marriage and offers a pathway for community-led reform when customary and state norms are deliberately brought into dialogue.

Recommendations

The article recommends reframing Sasak customary law through participatory processes that involve Kyai, Tuan Guru, village officials and community members in revising awiq-awiq to explicitly support the 19-year minimum age of marriage and stronger protection of girls. It calls for integrating national child protection policies into culturally legitimate narratives that emphasise Islamic teachings on maturity, education and family welfare, using village deliberation forums and religious platforms as primary channels.

The author further advocates addressing the economic drivers of child marriage through scholarships, vocational opportunities and adolescent-focused livelihood support, so families have realistic alternatives to early marriage. Overall, the paper argues that sustainable reduction in child marriage in Lombok requires adaptive, co-produced governance that treats customary and religious authorities as partners in legal reform rather than obstacles to be overridden