ABSTRAKThis article focuses on Indonesian adolescents who are wives and mothers, demonstrating how early marriage and adolescent motherhood are normative among women from poor Sasak communities in Western Lombok. It isbased on ethnographic research with 28 young mothers that included focusgroup discussions, in depth interviews, and observations. Demographic andethnographic data on the aetiology of early marriage and adolescent motherhoodare discussed, and confirm that low educational attainment for girls, lack ofemployment prospects, poverty, and low levels of economic development areall associated with a higher probability of adolescent marriage and motherhoodin Indonesia. The article also reveals how conservative sexual morality and localmarriage customs can propel girls into early marriage. It provides a human rightsanalysis that demonstrates how early marriage and adolescent motherhoodintersect with the neglect of girls? rights to education, employment, equality inmarriage, health information, family planning, and maternal health.