Ministry of Social Affairs and Unicef Efforts in Children's Social Rehabilitation Programs

Monday (March 30, 2020) - Director General of Social Rehabilitation of the Ministry of Social Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia Harry Hikmat held a meeting related to child protection efforts supported by Unicef through video conference.

The meeting also discussed the Ministry of Social's quick steps in preventing and managing the spread of Corona Virus Disease 19 (COVID-19). The Indonesian Ministry of Social Affairs through the Directorate General of Social Rehabilitation continued cooperation with the United Nations Children's Funds (Unicef) in 2020, in the case of supplier assistance in the form of hand sanitizers and masks to eight provinces and eight Children's Centers, as well as printing assistance for COVID-19 prevention socialization materials to all Social Welfare Institutions for Children in Indonesia.

The Ministry of Social cooperation pogram with Unicef has been running from 2016 to 2020 which focuses on three things; the survival and development of children; early childhood education; and adolescent development and child protection.

In the case of Child Protection, the cooperation includes outreach children and vulnerable families, digitizing case management and ensuring welfare and safety during disasters, especially the COVID-19 Pandemic disaster which has now spread in Indonesia.

The Director General of Social Rehabilitation, Harry Hikmat emphasized the importance of care in the family and the implementation of continuum of care. This child protection cannot be separated from human resources (HR). "Strengthening human resources is important, it must have a strong database and the same format as the Integrated Social Welfare Data plus specific data relating to children. "In the future, these human resources must be trained or licensed, and this is also cooperated with Unicef," concluded Director General of Social Rehabilitation.

Head of Child Protection of Unicef Indonesia, Amanda Bissex said that Unicef Appreciates the focus on strengthening human resources and supporting cooperation in various units. He also said that Unicef helped the family-based care model and ensured children received various additional services.

The meeting held through the Video Conference was attended by 36 participants consisting of Director General of Social Rehabilitation Harry Hikmat, Secretary of the Directorate General of Social Rehabilitation Idit Supriadi Priatna, Director of Child Social Rehabilitation Kanya Eka Santi along with her staff, UNICEF Indonesia's Chief of Child Protection Amanda Bissex, Child Protection Specialist Unicef Indonesia Astrid Gonzaga Dionisio and several representatives from Unicef Indonesia.

Public Relations Bureau

Ministry of Social Affairs