Multi-party Collaboration to Fulfill the Rights of the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities

JAKARTA (April 20th 2020) - In order to accelerate and encourage protection, safety and fulfillment of the rights of the elderly and persons with disabilities in risky situations, the Director General of Social Rehabilitation, Harry Hikmat held a sub-cluster meeting of persons with disabilities and the elderly. This meeting aims to realize multi-party collaboration in handling COVID-19.

In realizing this multi-stakeholder collaboration, a national cluster approach is needed. The national cluster approach is a partnership in which the ministry / agency is the coordinator and the main person responsible for mobilizing partner support from other non-government agencies / organizations.

The functions of clusters and sub-clusters are to facilitate coordination of partners based on function, mobilize resources, strengthening capacity and partially substitute the capacity of operational units.

According to the Regulation of the Minister of Social Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia Number 26 of 2015 concerning Guidelines for the Coordination of Refugees and Protection Clusters in Disaster Management, the national cluster of displacement and protection consists of 8 sub-clusters. One of them is the protection of the elderly, people with disabilities and other vulnerable groups. So in this case the Ministry of Social Affairs needs to create multi-party collaboration.

In the state of the COVID-19 disaster, the Ministry of Social Affairs is asked to strengthening logistics and other efforts such as social protection for vulnerable groups. The government cannot act alone in a disaster emergency. "Efforts to synergize with various parties must be made. Through this synergy, there will be coordination and even real joint action in handling COVID-19," said the Director General of Social Rehabilitation.

Talking about epidemics and pandemics, it is no longer the health aspects that will be affected, but also the socio-economic and national development aspects that will be affected. "These non-natural disasters are no less impactful than natural disasters. Because of the impact on the wider community," explained the Director General of Social Rehabilitation.

The Director General of Social Rehabilitation also conveyed his direction to hold a meeting with partners to coordinate. Like a meeting with a professional companion who has the full support of the Director General of Social Rehabilitation.

In the meeting, of course there are many things that can be discussed, for example, such as data issues, information can also be exchanged such as work guides for assistants in conditions of the COVID-19 pandemic and other information exchanges. The Directorate General of Social Rehabilitation of the Ministry of Social Affairs has issued several guidelines such as guidelines for psychosocial support for persons with disabilities and work guidelines for companion in preventing COVID-19.

The direction of the Director General of Social Rehabilitation was also received positively by Indah Putri, a member of the Non-Governmental Organization (LSM) Humanity and Inclusion. "Friends of LSMs are very happy if they can work together in various government programs," she said.

At the end of the meeting, the Director General of Social Rehabilitation said that the state is present among the elderly and people with disabilities, so it is necessary to have a common vision and mission as well as a common perspective.

The Director General of Social Rehabilitation also hopes that in the future there will be a hotline service for persons with disabilities and the elderly. This is so that social complaints can get a quick response. In addition, it is also necessary to intensify coordination with the Social Services Agency, so that actual issues that arise can be immediately followed up.

The meeting which lasted approximately 2 hours involved 28 participants consisting of the Director of Social Rehabilitation for the Elderly and his staff, the Director of Social Rehabilitation for Persons with Disabilities and his staff, the Director of Social Protection for Natural Disaster Victims, the Directorate General of Social Protection and Security (Linjamsos), the Director of Social Protection for Social Disaster Victims, a key partner of Humanity & Inclusion and YAKKUM Emergency Unit (YEU).