Transformasi Pernikahan Tidak Tercatat di Perbatasan

Dengan menggunakan teori Strukturasi (Giddens), studi ini mengkaji proses interelasi struktur dan agensi melembagakan praktek-praktek pernikahan tidak tercatat di Tawau (Sabah, Malaysia). Studi difokuskan pada upaya pencarian faktor-faktor penyebab terjadinya pernikahan tidak tercatat dan identifikasi peran berbagai aktor yang terlibat, guna mendapat input komprehensif penyusunan langkah-langkah penyelesaian yang lebih efektif mengingat persoalan pernikahan tidak tercatat terus terjadi meski berbagai upaya mengatasi persoalan sudah dilakukan. Tawau (Sabah, Malaysia) diambil sebagai lokus studi mengingat kasus pernikahan tidak tercatat cukup tinggi terjadi di wilayah tersebut. Menggunakan pendekatan kualitatif tipe studi kasus dengan teknik pengumpulan data melalui wawancara mendalam dan studi dokumen; hasil studi menunjukkan bahwa pernikahan tidak tercatat sudah berlangsung hingga generasi ketiga dan sulit dihentikan karena bertemunya kepentingan para aktor. Kepentingan dimaksud adalah kepentingan pekerja migran untuk dapat menikah memenuhi kebutuhan manusiawi mereka, kebutuhan tauke atau para pengusaha kelapa sawit yang mempekerjakan para pekerja migran (para pekerja migran yang sudah menikah lebih bertanggungjawab terhadap pekerjaan serta lebih mudah dikendalikan selain karena faktor human interest yaitu bahwa relasi mereka dengan pekerja migran sudah seperti keluarga) serta adanya kebutuhan para mediator untuk mendapatkan uang.

Undocumented marriage is a social reality prevalent in many communities, including in Tawau (Sabah, Malaysia), where several Indonesian workers make a living. Examining the process of interrelation structure and agency institutionalizing the practice of undocumented marriage through the depiction of the transformation process and the actors that play a role, the study is intended to obtain comprehensive information on why cases continue to occur even to the third generation. The study also identified the impact of unregistered marriages on migrant workers and their families to obtain a measurable picture of the gravity of the problem. As for the reason why Tawau was taken as the locus, considering that cases of undocumented marriage were quite high in the region. Using a case study type qualitative approach with data collection techniques through in-depth interviews and document studies (books, journals, reports, and mass media coverage), the results showed that the marriage process is not recorded as having transformed from generation to generation, which is marked by a decrease in structural strength—and strengthening the roles and abilities of actors to escape structural forces. As a result, the practice of unregistered marriage continues to increase. It is increasingly difficult to stop, although, on the other hand, the real impact of excess marriage is not recorded for the object, especially their children who have difficulty getting educational services. Government efforts to reduce the impact have been made. Unfortunately, it will lose meaning if the increase in unregistered marriages is not stopped.