National Children’s Day Celebration on 23 July becomes a critical momentum to remind people to respect, protect, and fulfil children’s rights in Indonesia so that they can grow optimally. The National Children’s Day is not just a celebration, but also a reminder that children can grow and develop optimally into excellent children, into great Indonesia towards Golden Indonesia in 2045.

The government of Surakarta City organises 41st National Children’s Day celebration in Surakarta on Tuesday (26/08) with a thematic focus on “Excellent Children, Strong Indonesia towards Golden Indonesia in 2045” at City Hall’s Pendhapi Gede (Great Hall) and garden in the City of Surakarta. Many school children attend the celebration from early education children to high school children and Technical Schools. The celebration is not only happening at Pendhapi Gede, but also in the garden where there are displays of mobile library, Board Game Land, Puspaga, RSUD Ibu Fatmawati Soekarno Surakarta City, Yayasan KAKAK, Wahana Anak, and many others.

Before the celebration starts at Pendhapi Gede, children present their specialties – including students of Yayasan Pembinaan Anak-anak Cacat (YPAC) who sing together the song “Aku Anak Indonesia” (We are Indonesian Children) and “Jogja Istimewa” (Special Yogya City), and there is also Aquino Gavin (4 y.o.) presenting his own work – shadow puppet. The celebration continues with the National anthem ”Indonesia Raya” and prayer with children representatives from six religions in Indonesia. Then there is a speech by Christiana Hariani, a representative of the Women Empowerment, Child Protection, Population Management and Family Planning Office (DP3AP2KB) in Surakarta. In her speech, she emphasises that the celebration is a critical momentum to national awareness, where children are critical assets that must be supported and given space to participate and to be able to voice their views through creative means.

Demands by The Children Forum in Surakarta to the City Government of Surakarta

At the National Children’s Day celebration, the Children Forum in Surakarta writes and reads its demands to the City of Surakarta:

1. Demand safe space for children so that children’s views can be heard;
2. Optimise parenting through discussion and information dissemination towards positive caring of children;
3. Propose inter-area child network and child-friendly infrastructure(s);
4. Promote better child-friendly health
5. Optimise free-smoking zones,
6. Address stunting, anemia, and exploitation of children;
7. Demand that government opens free, creative classes at community level, provides more artistic and cultural activities and improve support facilities in order to draw children’s interests and talents in local culture preservation;
8. Urge the government to collect data and to accompany school drop-outs through coordinated non-formal education and to make available safe and comfortable learning space for children;
9. Urge the government to provide children-friendly digital literacy training, counseling services and integrated child-friendly complaint facility. Consolidate digital content, facilitate inclusive education for children with special needs, and take firm actions against child exploitation and violence against children by providing accompaniment and safe space for victims.

After theChildren Forum reads its demands, Mayor Respati Achmad Ardianto offers a short welcome speech and engage children in an interactive dialogue. Respati moves closer to children and asks what children expectations are. A number of students answer that they want to have a big meeting with high-achiever children in Surakarta. A number of children express their desire to have regular events that involve children, and free nutritious meals at schools. Other children wish to have a study tour together with students from other schools, and with Yayasan Pembinaan Anak-anak Cacat (YPAC), and availability of music instruments, such as keyboard.

Respati then asks children to reflect on Pancasila (the Nation’s Five Principles) and to sing the national anthem “Garuda Pancasila.” Respati reminds children that children’s smile is a indicator of a good area, and that it is critical to prevent violence from happening. "Posyandu plus (integrated health post) is a venue for lodging complaint so that no more violence happens against women and children, and she expects all citizens to keep women and children in their areas safe,” says Respati.

The activity proceeds with dances from Betawi (Jakarta) called “Lenggang Nyai” performed by children from Jebres and then time to offer appreciation to creative contents of campaign "I Choose Me Not Nicotine" from all communities in in Surakarta. The activity closes with flashmob by all children. (Renny Talitha Candra/ast)