Central Sebatik Government Involves Children in Regional Development Through Children's Forum

The government of Central Sebatik sub-district, Nunukan Regency, North Kalimantan (Kaltara), is involving children in the development planning process through the establishment of a Children’s Forum as a channel for their aspirations, as well as an effort to fulfil children’s rights in the region.

Head of Central Sebatik Aris Nur said the Children’s Forum was established so that children’s voices could form part of every development discussion.

“At every development planning deliberation, we bring in the children to convey what their wishes are,” Aris said in Sebatik on Thursday.

Through the forum, he continued, children can raise a number of problems they face, including difficulties in obtaining civil documents such as birth certificates, Child Identity Cards (KIA), and identity cards for those who meet the requirements.

The sub-district government then acts as an intermediary with the Nunukan Regency Population and Civil Registration Office (Disdukcapil) to make civil administration services more accessible to residents, given Sebatik’s geography as an island territory.

It has also adopted an outreach service approach, including data collection and the recording of civil documents for vulnerable groups and persons with disabilities.

The programme is carried out periodically by borrowing recording equipment from Disdukcapil when needed.

In addition to strengthening the fulfilment of children’s civil rights, the Central Sebatik sub-district government is running a digital-era parenting programme through the Children’s Digital World Activity Monitoring Programme.

The programme aims to enhance parents’ role in supervising their children’s activities when using digital devices and the internet.

“The main target is the fulfilment of children’s rights. We want to ensure that children are involved in all aspects of development, so that their aspirations are heard,” he said.

These efforts have borne fruit with first place at the North Kalimantan provincial level in the Women-Friendly and Child-Caring Village category, achieved through the digital-era child and adolescent parenting programme.

Going forward, the Central Sebatik sub-district government plans to share this good practice with other regions so that children’s involvement in development and the protection of children’s rights can be implemented more widely.

“That is what we want to pass on to other areas in Sebatik,” Aris Nur said.