Indonesia
Participation, education and protection for working children
It wasn't long ago that Dika found it quite normal that he and his friends worked, often earned the fruits of oil palms until late into the night or helped their parents to sell. After all, almost all children in the village made it just as natural as he did.
In Damak Maliho, in the Indonesian province of North Sumatra, most residents rely on the palm oil plantations to make a living. The harvest needs many hands. It is therefore everyday life that children also help on the plantations; Despite the risk of accidents - and although many have to put the school down for it.
Radika, which is mostly called Dika, remembers the history of a friend who was referred by school in the first year of the high school. He had fallen asleep several times in class because he was exhausted by the work the day before. When asked why so much worked, the friend said: he had to help his mother to feed the family. The parents had divorced.
"Not because he wanted to work, but for his family," says Dika. For him, this is the core of the problem: children who should actually go to school are forced to cancel them to work.
Dika himself reads and likes to write, also likes to take on homework - a contrast to the prevailing picture in Damak Maliho: Here the sons are considered those who can do heavy and hard work. They transport the palm oil fruits, some also break stones or repair tires. When Dika first expressed the desire to complete a higher education and become Indonesian teachers, his father declined: he was supposed to work.
But at the same time, Dika was not the only youth in the village to be the conflict of school and work. With other girls and boys he soon met in the Child Advisory Committee (CAC) for Damak Maliho. There, at meetings at the food stand, on the veranda or in the community center, he found the freedom to openly address problems and look for solutions.
He learned that the hard work that he had considered normal from an early age was actually a violation of his rights as a child. At the same time, it remained clear to him that you could not simply prohibit everyone if other sources were missing.
“Children shouldn't work. And if you have no choice, at least you need time to rest, play and learn. "
PKPA - the Center for Education and Child Protection
(Pusat Kajian Dan Perlindan anak)
Child labor is still widespread in the region around Medan City in North Sumatra. There are lack of alternatives in particular of poorer families to cover their livelihood. Since child labor also often takes place in the informal sector and illegal, those children and adolescents who rely on income are particularly susceptible to exploitation and poor treatment: there are bans, but no strategy against the causes of poverty.
Instead of criminalization, the local child law organization PKPA therefore relies on dialogue and reinforcement of the children. Children and adolescents who work in the informal working sector are supported to represent their situation and their concerns to politics and business in groups such as the Child Advisory Committees. At the same time, PKPA provides concrete help- for example through educational and health offers.
PKPA has been Terre Des Hommes project partner since 2018.
Today Dika is 17 years old. He is one of the spokesman for the CAC in Damak Maliho, and soon he will travel to Jakarta to represent his community at the conference there for the World Day against child labor. He will indicate the dangers of child labor, to physical and mental consequences.
Together with the CAC, he also campaigns on site in his home region to ensure that the local government does more against poverty and supports children from poor families. Above all, he wishes that better jobs are created with which parents can cover their families' basic needs, so that the children no longer have to work for as long and so hard.
Dika can also pursue his great passion, writing. He won several writing competitions at school. And his mother supports his dream - so that he can still hope for studying.
11.06.2025
