Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
Al-Mazaahib, cilt.13, sa.2, ss.199-224, 2025 (Scopus)
Child marriage in South Sulawesi remains a critical issue in public health and social development, despite previous studies on recent legal reforms. This research fills an academic gap by comprehensively evaluating the performance of the Child Protection Agency (LPA) in South Sulawesi through the lens of maqashid al-syari’ah, aiming to assess the effectiveness of the LPA and to formulate optimization strategies for its role in the region. Employing a mixed-methods approach— combining surveys and in-depth interviews—the findings reveal that community perceptions of LPA services (counseling, advocacy, and relevance) are generally positive. However, qualitative analysis using Sutrisno’s effectiveness theory uncovers a significant gap: the perceived success reflects service accessibility rather than substantive social impact. The core findings indicate that the effectiveness of the LPA in South Sulawesi is constrained by difficulties in reaching informal communities and the absence of a systematic early detection system for at-risk children. The implications of this analysis highlight the need for substantive strategic shifts grounded in maqashid al-syari’ah (emphasizing hifz al-nafs, hifz al-‘aql, and hifz al-nasl). These strategic shifts include enacting Regional Regulations (PERDA), expanding outreach by engaging religious and community leaders, strengthening early detection through cross-sectoral collaboration, and empowering local governments. Such comprehensive strategic reforms are essential to enhance the effectiveness of the LPA in South Sulawesi and to ensure greater protection for children.