This study examines the legal protection of a wife’s rights over children in divorce under Law Number 1 of 1974 concerning Marriage by placing the best interests of the child as the focus of analysis. The research problems include the legal basis for protecting the wife as a mother in the care and fulfillment of children’s rights after divorce, as well as the obstacles to its implementation in practice. This study uses a normative juridical method with statutory, conceptual, and case approaches through a prescriptive qualitative analysis of religious court decisions. The results show that the Marriage Law provides a basis for protection through the continuity of parental responsibilities, the authority of the court in child custody disputes, and the father’s obligation to provide maintenance and education costs for the child. Judicial practice shows that the mother may be appointed as the holder of custody rights; however, this position is not absolute because it remains dependent on the best interests of the child. The main obstacles include regulations that are still general in nature, inconsistent judicial interpretation, weak evidence regarding childcare and child support, difficulties in enforcing court decisions, and the father’s negligence in fulfilling child support obligations. This study emphasizes the need to strengthen judicial guidelines, mechanisms for evidence and enforcement, and a systematic interpretation between child protection and protection for the wife as the caregiving mother.