The Implementation of Child-Friendly City Policy by the Local Community in Depok, Indonesia

Abstract

Child-Friendly City (CFC) is a policy develops by Government to ensure the fulfillment of child’s rights. The policy was born as a follow-up action to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and is an attempt by the Government to improve child welfare. Depok City in West Java, Indonesia is one of the cities who committed to implement this policy since 2010. The research is a policy study that analyzes the interpretation of CFC policy within the local community (RW). This research uses a qualitative approach and based on its benefits is social policy research. The knowledge gained as a result of a social policy research can be used for particularly beneficial for disadvantaged populations, which in this study are children. In implementing the CFC policy in the RW community, the author analyzes the dynamics of the implementation of a Child-Friendly RW, which is then divided into two cases. In the first case, the community has three variables that have been identified, namely: the quality of the community, community assets attached to the community, and the existence of a change agent. These three variables make motivations come from within the community which give rise to initiatives that lead to high community participation and manifest in various activities of fulfilling children's rights, which then has an impact on behavior change in the community. These three variables were not found in the second case of child-friendly RW, where the people in the community was passive so that there was no change in behavior in children or the community in general. As a recommendation, the authors encourage the community to increase its awareness towards current issues happens in the neighborhood, and the public policies that have great benefits for the community. In addition, the community must also proactively broaden their horizons by accessing the latest information from media.