How Children's Voices Are Heard by Stakeholders?
From being curious, Celsy did not expect that her decision to join the Children's Forum in the village could change her life. From a shy girl, living in one of the most remote villages in Indonesia, to being able to carry out advocacy actions for the fulfilment of the rights of children in her village, that is Celsy's transformation. The journey of her voice began with her realising that a child actually has rights.
Slowly Celsy and her friends at the East Manggarai Children's Forum (Formatim) began to learn about children's rights. In Formatim meetings, Celsy got to know the Convention on the Rights of the Child and how it is applied in everyday life. She and her friends were also trained in various skills that would later support Celsy's efforts to fight for her rights and the rights of other children.
"It's not just knowledge that I gained, but I was also able to develop my abilities such as public speaking, dancing, pantomime, drama and much more. I once became an MC during the election of new Formatim administrators for the 2022-2023 period, I was able to develop my ability to speak in front of many people. The WVI staffs who have trained us," said the 15-year-old.
The Children's Forum itself became a safe place for children in the village to get to know and implement what is called child participation. Children voice their functions in the middle of the community. Children prove that they are not members of the community who are not worthy of being included in village activities, but they actually have important voices and views for the progress of the village. In addition, what is equally important is that the Children's Forum becomes a medium that can foster trust in the hearts of every child that a child is a valuable figure, a figure who is able to become an agent of change, and greater changes can occur if the children themselves experience personal transformation in their lives.
The knowledge and skills that Celsy gained through Formatim became a useful provision when she had to face a case of sexual violence experienced by her peers. "Because her parents had committed violence against my friend, then she was kind of not considered a child. We tried to approach her but she was still closed off," said Celsy. Realising that this incident deprived a child of the right to be protected, Celsy felt she had the spirit to fight for the rights of every child in the village. She wants to see that girls in her village live safely, far from depression and feelings of devastation.
The absence of available play spaces also makes Celsy sad. This condition endangers children because it can lead to death. "In 2023, a child drowned and was swept away by the river because there was no play space around the house," she added. Since joining Formatim, which is facilitated by WVI, Celsy has also become more aware that the children around her live surrounded by various issues. This series of events that violate children's rights is what makes Celsy more interested in exploring the ins and outs of fulfilling children's rights. She wants to know, what causes child issues to often arise around her.
Becoming a child researcher is the answer for Celsy. She didn't have to think twice when asked to get involved in Child-Led Research (CLR). Celsy and the CLR team conducted direct data collection in the village. From the collected data, they found the reasons behind the issues that plagued children in one of the villages in East Manggarai. "We explored the child issues that often occur. We collected data on adolescent children who did not take blood-added tablets, the impact of early marriage, and sexual violence," added Celsy.
The research results, which are the voices of children, are very valuable in Celsy's eyes. This encouraged her to dare to advocate to regional leaders. Accompanied by Wahana Visi Indonesia, Celsy and Formatim conveyed their voices and hopes to the Regent of East Manggarai and several other stakeholders. In clear and simple language, Celsy led her friends, expressing her concerns about the situation of East Manggarai children based on valid research.
"Twelve sub-districts have formed Children's Forums but have not run because there is no operational support and need support from the sub-district. The impact is that child issues from each village and sub-district are not accommodated, because the Children's Forum is not running. While the Village Children's Forum is only in 20 villages," said Celsy when conducting an audience with the local government.
The children's voices were heard. The Regent of East Manggarai, Ir. Boni Hasudungan, stated, "I strongly support our children. In my opinion, it can be budgeted in the programmes of the agencies. I hope that the Children's Forum can help other children from acts of violence such as sexual violence and bullying," he said, greeted by the happy expressions of Celsy and her friends.
Celsy, a shy girl, has now succeeded in becoming a girl who fights for the rights of other children. "Now I am more able to give opinions and explain the impact. I am rich as a teacher for my teenage friends. I am also braver to speak in front of many people, especially to voice issues that often occur," said this 10th grade student.
Celsy also said that she could think further for the future of the children of East Manggarai. "I will prove to East Manggarai that the Children's Forum can always voice children's issues. Hopefully by giving socialisation to schools, eventually child issues can be reduced. And also, the government can realise all the hopes of the children of East Manggarai," she hoped. Currently, Celsy has been inaugurated by the Regent as the Chairperson of the East Manggarai Children's Forum for the 2024-2025 period.
Author: Ignatius Anggoro (WVI Area Programme Manager for Manggarai Cluster)
Editor: Mariana Kurniawati (Communication Executive)
