Working Children and Child Labor in Indonesia, What is Their Future?

According to Statistics, Indonesia a government institute that is responsible for conducting surveys and statistics analysis, there are around 30.8 Million Children in Indonesia. Amongst those 30.8 Million, in 2020 3.25% of them are categorized as "Working Children". The percentage drops to 2.63% by 2021. An estimate of around 2.7 Million Children in Indonesia is considered Child Labor under statistics given by UNICEF. Who or What is in the wrong here?

The World Health Organization defines children as every human being under the age of 19, Indonesian Regulations stipulate under Act Number 39 of 199 on Human Rights, that children are human beings under the age of 18 Years Old and Not Married. This definition is a key to understanding what children are in the first place. With the ages being around 1-19, children are among the so-called unproductive age and need to receive better treatment in order for them to grow better. However, some of the children in Indonesia are unlucky and fall amongst the categorization of Child Labor and Working Children.

The Indonesian Government has given legal protection to these children through Government Decree Number 2 of 1988 and Act Number 1 of 2000 on Ratification of ILO Convention. However, these two regulations or legal umbrella only serve to protect those within the Child Labor categorization and it is considered not enough due to weak enforcement and bureaucracy. Working Children aren't protected by any legal umbrella as of now and the government still hasn't been able to act on giving such legal protection.

This requires the legislative, namely the People's Representative Assembly to quickly act upon formulating such regulations to combine both Working Children and Child Labor under one Legal Umbrella to ensure their future as the next generation of the republic as a whole. Not only the government that needs to act but the society as a whole. Society can give a major contribution to improving the condition that the children are facing now through giving education, providing safety and healthcare, and many more. All of the aforementioned society contributions can be done through Non-Governmental Organizations and even Individuals acting with their own goodwill.

The future of Indonesia is on the youth. How far are we willing to save our future is decided through our decisions on making sure the safety, education, and livelihood of our children.