DPR Emphasizes Father's Role In Care To Reduce Fatherless Children's Phenomenon

Photo by Indra Suganda on Unsplash

JAKARTA - In commemorating National Children's Day (HAN) in 2024 which is commemorated every July 23, Commission VIII of the DPR RI emphasizes the importance of the role of fathers in children's growth and development. The presence of a father figure is something that needs to be considered in order to make children have good and strong mental health.

"Happy National Children's Day to all Indonesian Children. This year I hope that the public can pay attention to the importance of the role of fathers in children's growth and development," said Member of Commission VIII DPR Selly Andriany Change, Tuesday, July 23.

Selly also touched on the issue of the DPR which has passed Law Number 4 of 2024 concerning Maternal and Child Welfare in the Phase of the First Thousand Days of Life (UU KIA) which is just waiting for the derivative regulations from the Government so that it can be implemented.

"This law must be an important milestone in efforts to improve family welfare in Indonesia," he said.

The KIA Law was initiated by the DPR as an effort to build the welfare of mothers and children at the smallest level so that it becomes a shared responsibility. Not only family, but also the environment because the growth and development of children is a shared collective responsibility, including the Government.

The KIA Law is here not only to regulate maternity leave for working mothers, but also about mentoring leave for male workers whose wives have just given birth. Through the KIA Law, it is possible for father to extend his leave to accompany his wife to care for a newborn child.

Selly said that the role of fathers is highly expected in raising children, especially because 1,000 days of the child's life phase is a critical period where children grow and develop very quickly and significantly. This period cannot be repeated and does not occur in other age groups.

UU KIA arranges for fathers to play a role in children's care and growth and development. Because father plays an important role in the golden age of children, including when a newborn is born," explained Selly.

"The extension of this father's leave can be a crucial step to ensure that these rights can be accessed equally by workers. The role of father is very much needed for both mother and son," he continued.

In the KIA Law, there is indeed a clause that emphasizes that raising children is a shared responsibility for fathers and mothers. Starting from preparing everything before pregnancy such as maintaining and checking conditions during pregnancy planning, then when the mother is pregnant, until the time the mother gives birth and after giving birth to the mother breastfeeding.

Selly said the higher involvement of fathers in parenting can improve the mental and physical health of the family. Fathers who are more involved in parenting are said to be able to provide significant emotional support to mothers and children.

"Then also to reduce the risk of post-birth depression in mothers, and strengthen family ties. This can have a positive impact on children's development and overall family welfare, as well as reduce the burden on the health system in the long term," said Selly.

The former Deputy Regent of Cirebon also said that longer father leave is expected to create changes in social norms where fathers are more involved in parenting. Selly reminded that several studies revealed that father's involvement in parenting could increase cognitive and social development of children.

"This is important to form a fairer and equal generation in the division of household duties," he stressed.

Selly also highlighted the phenomenon of fathersless in which Indonesia has become a fairly large country in the world with a family number of fathersless. Fatherless himself is a phenomenon when father is not responsible for fulfilling his obligations and role as a father figure or can be interpreted as a absence from the role of father in children both physically and psychologically.

UNICEF data in 2021 states that there are around 20.9% of children in Indonesia growing up without the presence of a figure or role of a father, either because of divorce, death, or father working far away. On the other hand, according to data from Susenas 2021, the number of early childhood children in Indonesia reaches 30.83 million people.

From this data, it can be concluded that around 2,999,577 children lost their father figure. The BPS survey in 2021 also found only 37.17% of children aged 0-5 years were cared for by their father and biological mother simultaneously.

Therefore, Selly emphasized the importance of the role of the father because children who do not get care and warmth from the father figure will easily experience anxiety, weak social competence, and low self-esteem.

Recently, Indonesia is referred to as a country with a father or Fatherless figure shortage. Through the rules of father leave in the KIA Law, we hope that the number of children experiencing fatherless can be reduced," hoped Selly.

On the other hand, Selly assessed that the father's leave policy could also support gender equality because fathers could directly contribute to reducing the double burden experienced by women. Because so far women are required to be responsible for households and child care.

"This policy is expected to encourage wider cultural change in Indonesian society, where the role of fathers in parenting is recognized and equally respected," said Selly.

However, this requires support from various parties, including media, communities, and non-governmental organizations, to campaign for the importance of father's involvement in parenting. Effective public education and campaigns can help accelerate this cultural change," he continued.

On the other hand, Selly assessed that the extension of father's leave could have a positive impact not only on the family but also on the economy and social welfare. In fact, the DPR previously initiated that the extension of father's leave could be the same as in developed countries for weeks. In Spain, even father's leave for up to 4 months.

It's just that, with the agreement of related parties, father's leave in the KIA Law is regulated for the next two days, or an additional three days according to the agreement. Selly said that the extension of father's leave could affect the short-term productivity of the company, especially for sectors that rely heavily on manpower.

"Entrepreneurs may worry that longer leave will increase the cost burden, both in terms of salary that remains to be paid and costs to cover the absence of labor," explained the West Java VIII electoral district legislator.

In fact, according to Selly, father's leave in the long term can improve family welfare. Of course, this has a positive impact on employee productivity because it can reduce stress to increasing loyalty and performance.

"This policy implementation requires sufficient funding, including for an administrative system that ensures father's leave rights can be accessed by all workers without discrimination," explained Selly.

"This may require additional budget allocation from the Government or a new financing scheme, which could be a contribution from entrepreneurs or participation from the social insurance system," he added.

Selly stated that the policy of extending father leave such as developed countries requires strong political support, both from the central and regional governments. This is because there will be resistance from groups that feel disadvantaged or threatened by this change, especially from the business sector.

"Therefore, constructive dialogue is needed between the government, employers, and trade unions to achieve a consensus and a balanced solution," said Selly.

The member of the Commission in the DPR in charge of child protection matters also said that several developed countries had succeeded in implementing a longer father's leave policy with positive results. According to Selly, the Indonesian government can learn from the best practices of these countries to optimize policy implementation in the country.

"This can also be an opportunity for Indonesia to increase its international image as a country that supports gender equality and family welfare," he said.