KIA Recording Becomes a Gift for Children in Sebatik on National Children's Day

The Central Sebatik District government has carried out a Child Identity Card (KIA) recording drive to ensure children in the nation’s border area obtain their rights, presenting it as a gift for the 2026 National Children’s Day commemoration. “Every child must obtain their rights, especially since Central Sebatik District has been designated as a women-friendly and child-caring village. So there are several things we are doing to ensure that children’s rights are fulfilled,” said Central Sebatik District Head Aris Nur in Sebatik on Thursday. The 42nd National Children’s Day, commemorated every 23 July 2026, serves as an important momentum to strengthen the commitment of all elements of the nation in fulfilling children’s rights while providing optimal protection for them. This commemoration is not merely an annual ceremonial agenda, but also a reminder that children are national assets who must be protected, guided, and prepared for the future. Aris said that specifically in the Central Sebatik region, his office runs the District Integrated Social Handling Barn (LuPaSiDuKa) programme, which includes proactive outreach activities to ensure all residents have population identity documents. This is particularly relevant as many Indonesian migrant workers are employed in oil palm plantations in Malaysia. On average, the children of these workers do not yet have population identity documents, making proactive visits to schools a primary agenda. For the KIA recording on Children’s Day, the LuPaSiDuKa Programme targeted early childhood education (Paud) children and primary school students in the Bukit Harapan Village area, Central Sebatik. The initiative also coincided with the start of the new school semester. “They (the children) return to Indonesia when it is time for school. So that is our target, and we carry out this activity every year. Ensuring that every child is registered and has a population document,” Aris said. Beyond child identity cards, local authorities also conducted data collection for residents whose children were not yet listed on the family card (KK) or did not have a birth certificate. “We simply ask for the parents’ marriage book or family card if they have one. And we handle the process all the way to the Nunukan Population and Civil Registration Office, because we are on a different island. If residents had to go to Nunukan themselves, it would require significant expense. So it is our duty to ensure that parents and children have population documents,” Aris stated. According to him, the KIA recording process will continue periodically as an effort to fulfil children’s rights, especially since Central Sebatik District has been designated as a Women-Friendly and Child-Caring Village. “Our hope is that even though the parents work in Malaysia, the children’s rights to education and other entitlements are still obtained,” Aris concluded.