News Stories

Indonesia – home to 1.7 million child labourers

Posted 14 February 2010

A survey done by the Central Statistics Agency in conjunction with the International Labour Organisation has found that at least four million children across Indonesia are employed, with at least 1.7 million categorised as child labourers.

The first comprehensive study of its kind in Indonesia, the study found that of the 4.05 million children employed, 2.02 million (50%) worked at least 21 hours per week, and 1.01 million (25%) worked 12 hours a week. A child labourer was defined as a child between 13 and 14 years of age who worked more than 15 hours per week, or a child between 15 and 17 years who worked more than 40 hours each week.



Of the four million children found to be working in Indonesia, only 2.13 million are enrolled in school. Many are conflicted with other obligations such as doing unpaid work for their family in the agricultural sector or service industry (working an average of 25.7 hours per week), while some had to juggle substantial housekeeping duties on top of their school and work duties (accounting for1.6 million of the children surveyed). Many were not enrolled in school at all.

The survey found that child labourers in Indonesia worked an average of 35.1 hours each week – what many adults in Australia consider a full-time job. In addition, some 838,000 children were found to be working in hazardous conditions, labouring for more than 40 hours each week.

Reaction to the survey has been mixed. Bijoy Raychaudhuri of the International Labour Organisation noted that the figures were actually reasonable and ‘not very high’, but advised that it was difficult to make comparisons with neighbouring countries because Indonesia was the first country to conduct such a comprehensive study. Seto Mulyadi, chairman of the National Commission for Child Protection (Komnas Anak), disagreed, saying that the figures were ‘unreasonable and unacceptable’.

“Those numbers should not be seen as a small percentage compared to the total population, but must be looked at as a total of four million. This is the violation of the rights of four million children,” he said.

For many of the children surveyed, work is a necessary part of life – crucial if they want to help their parents provide food, clothing and a home for them and their siblings. In areas were poverty is high, many parents are unable to support their children on their meagre incomes. Working through our partner TLM in West Timor, Indonesia, Opportunity International Australia aims to provide opportunities for people living in poverty – helping them start businesses and increase their incomes so they can afford to keep their children where they should be – in school.

If you would like to help give more families the opportunity to send their children to school instead of working, please click here to donate.