Learning from Surabaya on How to Handle Street Kids

KOMPAS/RIZA FATHONI

Two girls loiter on Tuesday (19/11/2019) on a sidewalk near an intersection in the Gelora area of Central Jakarta. Many street children in the capital are victims of exploitation and forced to work late into the night, begging on the streets. A comprehensive solution is needed from all stakeholders to tackle this violation of children’s rights.

JAKARTA, KOMPAS —  Dealing with street children is not easy and requires cooperation between central and regional governments, also between governments and the private sector. The efforts of the Surabaya city administration in handling street kids are worth emulating.

A teenager, identified only as H, has been around for three years as a street kid in Bangkalan, Madura. Since he was still at a public elementary school in Surabaya, he was reluctant to go home because his parents often quarreled.