Indonesia signals more universal child grants and action on violence following ground-breaking report

The Government of Indonesia has set out the situation for its 84 million children in order to establ

ish a starting point for tracking action on the Sustainable Development Goals related to children.

The Government and Unicef SDG Baseline Report on Children in Indonesia, (available right), provides a snapshot of where the country’s children stand at the start of the period up to 2030, when the goals are due to be met. The data is, where possible disaggregated by sex, age, province, socio-economic status and place of residence, to shed light on particularly vulnerable groups.

It highlights how more than one in seven children live in a household below the national poverty line and 57% grow up in families living on less than twice the national poverty line. Meanwhile, social protection schemes for children reach an estimated 36% of children. It also flags that there is currently no reliable national data on either child labour or violence against children.

“Evidence-informed investments will help Indonesia to achieve the SDGs, cementing its reputation as a global leader for Agenda 2030,” the document, launched at the High Level Political Forum in New York.
At the launch, Indonesia’s Minister of National Development Planning Bambang Brodjonegoro said: “As the world’s fourth largest country, we are committed to reducing child poverty and to ending all forms of violence against children.”

He added, on social protection: “Our policies start with the poorest and most vulnerable children. In 2018, several districts will introduce universal child grants for young children, a new approach to provide social protection for children.”

UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake, and Chilean President Michelle Bachelet, also launching the report, highlighted the need to increase comprehensive investments in children as a pre-condition for achieving the SDGs.

Development Pathways believes in an evidence-based approach to improving social protection and child protection. We look forward to seeing the progress Indonesia makes.

Originally published at Development Pathways.