Minister of Social Affairs Attends to National Workshop on Handling the Homeless and Beggars

JAKARTA (August 22, 2019) – The Social Affairs Minister Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita persuaded all of the parties to resolve the homeless and beggar’s problem (Gepeng). The Minister indicated that there is organized crime behind this operation.

“Thus, in this opportunity, we persuade the local government. They have big responsibility and can act in providing basic rehabilitations for them,” said the Social Affairs Minister, in his speech on “National Workshop on Handling the Homeless and Beggar on Implementing the Regulation of Minister of Social Affairs Republic of Indonesia No. 9/2018”, in Jakarta, Thursday (22/08/2019).

The Minister got a report that the homeless and beggar community was mobilized in certain areas using vehicles. It is often that they used children to attract people’s sympathy and child and person’s rent.

In his speech the Minister stated that the basic problem of the homeless and beggars' existence was poverty. He said that unpreparedness and inability became the problem that made them choose to be a beggar and homeless.

“The homeless and beggars’ population in 2019 is 5.849.423. The validity of this number is yet to be clarified, while the data collection on this group is relatively hard because of their high mobility,” said the Social Affairs Minister.

However, he said, this number certainly was like an iceberg phenomenon where the real number is possibly higher.

To handle the homeless and beggar problem, the Social Affairs Minister urged the local government, both Provincial or Regency/City, to make the Regulation of Minister of Social Affairs no. 9/2018 on Technical Standard in Basic Service on Minimum Basic Social Service Standard in Provincial area and Regency/City Area as the base of legal protection in handling the homeless and beggar problem in each area.

“Therefore, the homeless and beggars got served in their basic needs and got empowered according to their potency so that they can get a decent life according to the current norm in public,” said the Social Affairs Minister.

The existence of the homeless and beggar phenomenon, according to the Social Affairs Minister, showed that the social rehabilitation program was not yet eliminating the root of the problem, which was poverty. “If the poverty area which became the source area did not get handled well, then the homeless and beggar problem will still continue,” said the Social Affairs Minister.

The Ministry of Social Affairs so far had been serious and committed to handle the homeless and beggars. This is shown by the homeless and beggar handle program “Desaku Menanti” which was one of model for handling the homeless and beggars with a comprehensive touch.

“This program is not only touching on social rehabilitation aspect, but also putting attention to preventive aspect, social security and protection aspect, as well as social empowerment,” said the Social Affairs Minister. The “Desaku Menanti” Program focused on the management of homeless and beggars’ families including the child and their parents.

The Ministry of Social Affairs provides further treatment, i.e. assistance, including giving training, skill and even venture capital assistance, so that they had the ability to be economically independent.

In the same opportunity, Director General of Social Rehabilitation Edi Suharto stated, many kinds of central government and local government programs in the homeless and beggar management had already been done in preventive, repressive, and curative way through social rehabilitation, though this thing had not been able to be handled optimally.

“In the Law no. 23/2014 on Local Government, the authority and responsibility distribution in handling the Social Rehabilitation management has been regulated, including the homeless and beggar management has become the duty and responsibility for Provincial, Regency and City Government,” he said.

To emphasize and manage in more detail towards that law, the Social Affairs Minister published the Regulation of Minister of Social Affairs No. 9 2018 on Technical Standard of Basic Service on Social Service Minimum Standard. “One of them mentioned that Social Rehabilitation Management of the Homeless and Beggar has become the duty and responsibility for Provincial, Regency and City Government,” Edi said.

Head of Public Relation Bureau of Ministry of Social Affairs Republic of Indonesia
Sonny W Manalu