Holistic Sexuality Education as A Strategy for Preventing Early Marriage: A Participatory Approach to The PKK Group

Abstract

Early marriage remains a social problem with widespread impacts on the quality of education, health, and public welfare in Indonesia. One of the main causes is low sexuality literacy at the family and community level. This Community Service (PkM) program aims to increase the capacity of Pemberdayaan dan Kesejahteraan Keluarga (PKK) members in Pondok Kelor Village, Paiton District, Probolinggo Regency, to understand and implement holistic sexuality education as a strategy to prevent early marriage. This activity uses a participatory approach that involves the community in all stages of planning, implementation, and evaluation. Implementation methods include interactive counseling, focus group discussions, and parent-child communication simulations based on Islamic values ​​and local culture. The results of the activity showed an average increase in understanding among PKK cadres of 43.7% and the formation of three small family education groups that actively conduct outreach at the hamlet level. This program also succeeded in shifting the community's paradigm regarding sexuality issues from a taboo to an important part of child protection and family resilience. In conclusion, a participatory and contextual approach that integrates religious and cultural values ​​has proven effective in strengthening the role of village women's communities as agents of change in efforts to prevent child marriage..