Birth certificates out of reach for children of poor families

Indra Harsaputra, The Jakarta Post, Surabaya

Kopra, a 42-year-old vegetable seller, sat on the floor of a small hut standing on the edge of the Kalimas River in Surabaya. She was boiling water when The Jakarta Post called at the shack where she and her family have been living for three years.

She looked exhausted. Her face was black and sweaty after having spent all day long selling vegetable in the nearby Keputran market.

"I was often interviewed by journalists but after the story about me appeared in the media, neither the government nor the journalists gave me any money," said Kopra.

The tiny shack lacks both a kitchen and bathroom.

With just a single room, it accommodates Kopra, her husband Kentir and her six children. Kentir does not work as he is suffering from a psychologically disorder so that Kopra alone has to supply all the family's needs.

Kopra does not earn much money, however. The money she makes each month is just barely enough to put food on the table. She is fortunate that her children, who are aged between 2 and 10, can sometimes beg a little extra money on the streets.

Although she earns little, she still dreams that all of her children will be able to go to school. However, the dream remains just a dream. She cannot afford to send them to school as she has no money. She also lacks the money to secure birth certificates for all of them, which also prevents her from sending her children to school.

Two years ago, she tried to enroll one of her sons in an elementary school. However, the boy was rejected as he had no birth certificate. "I managed to get the certificate, but I had to pay Rp 150,000. That's a lot of money for me," said Kopra.

The problem of children lacking birth certificates is common in Surabaya, and, indeed, all around the country. Djunaidi Saripurnawan, the research and development head of local non- governmental organization Plant Indonesia, said that a recent study found that 60 percent of a total of 1,000 children from poor families who were surveyed in the city did not possess birth certificates. They lived in the slum area of Jagir and Wonokromo, along Jl. Pemuda. "Not only the children, but their parents also mostly do not have birth certificates," said Djunaidi.

The main reason for this was the expense involved. A birth certificate in Surabaya normally cost between Rp 75,000 and Rp 150,000.

"This is ironic as birth certificates are supposed to be free under the Children's Protection Law (No. 23/2002)," said Djunaidi.