JAKARTA (Bernama-ANTARA): Indonesia’s Women's Empowerment and Child Protection (PPPA) Ministry, in collaboration with the non-governmental organisation Save the Children, is campaigning for climate action titled "I, You, and We are Earth" to encourage children to safeguard the planet.
"This action's title emphasises our shared responsibility to protect the Earth, and through it, we aim to encourage children to bring themselves to care for the environment before rallying their peers to work hand in hand in safeguarding the planet," PPPA Minister Arifah Fauzi remarked.
Speaking in Jakarta on Saturday, she highlighted that women and children are more vulnerable to climate change-induced crises, necessitating the government and related stakeholders to take measures to shield them from the impacts of environmental degradation.
"Children account for one-third of Indonesia's population. If our children are well-informed and capable of taking concrete action for Earth's sustainability, we can expect future generations to inherit better living environments," Fauzi stated.
Bearing that in mind, the minister stressed the importance of cross-sector collaboration to amplify children's voices and increase their involvement in the climate change agenda.
Chief executive officer of Save the Children Indonesia, Dessy Ukar, cited 2025 global research by the NGO, which shows that people born in 2020 or later are more likely to have to endure intensified heat waves, flooding, drought, forest fires, and crop failures in their childhood.
"Climate crises are not a future issue, as we are witnessing them at the present. We can see children having their homes flooded, their studies interrupted, and their health threatened," she affirmed.
On that note, Ukar asserted that adults are responsible for ensuring that children's voices are translated into policies and action.
According to the same research, female children bear double burdens brought by climate crises, both in urban and rural areas. This finding is evident in several regions across Indonesia.
For example, recurring flooding and extreme heat in East Jakarta have forced young girls to carry out additional, heavy chores, such as cooking, getting water, caring for their younger siblings, and cleaning up their homes from debris post-disaster.
Meanwhile, young girls in East Nusa Tenggara have been facing limited access to proper sanitation and risks of reproductive illnesses due to drought and water scarcity, which has also put them on dangerous paths to obtain water.
Despite being vulnerable, young girls have proven to have a sound capacity to adapt to hardship and play a crucial role in mitigating climate change, thanks to their environmental awareness. - Bernama-ANTARA
