INTRODUCTION

Over the past decade, Indonesia has faced a series of shocks–economic, social, political and humanitarian–that have adversely affected child welfare. The economic and social shocks resulting from the financial crisis of 1997–98 had deep effects that continue to be felt. The 2004 Aceh tsunami and the 2006 earthquake in Yogyakarta resulted in humanitarian crises in which children were especially vulnerable. Meanwhile, ongoing problems such as high infant mortality, low retention rates from primary to junior secondary school, and the issue of protection of children without parental or familial support have continued to challenge policy makers.

The transition to democracy, rarely considered for its impact on children, has also had a marked effect on child welfare and child protection. Greater commitment to human rights on the part of the national government, at least rhetorically, has seen the introduction of a range of new policies that have been influenced by international concepts of human rights. In line with this new direction, there has been a rethinking of approaches to child welfare and child protection, with the relevant policies giving serious consideration to children's human rights for the first time. There are, of course, strong contradictory trends in policy in Indonesia, particularly given the interplay (and occasional clash) of democratisation and decentralisation forces. While the national government has enacted several laws that align the policy agenda for children more closely with human rights principles, particularly those set down in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, policy and legislation at the local level is more conservative, and at times even hostile to the concept of rights-based policy for children.

While recognising the significance of local policy discourse for children's welfare and protection, I do not deal with these issues in this chapter. Rather, I aim to provide an assessment of the policy framework for children at the national level. Decentralisation has reshaped the social policy landscape in Indonesia and empowered local policy makers to an extent unimaginable a decade ago. Nevertheless, the national framework remains critical in providing an overarching framework for child welfare and protection.