Orphans Due To COVID-19, Social Minister Risma: I've Talked To The Minister Of Finance So That It Can Be Supported From The Budget

Minister of Social Affairs Tri Rismaharini during the online "Virtual Socialization of the Social Assistance Check Application" event in Jakarta, Tuesday, August 17. (Photo: Antara)

JAKARTA - The Ministry of Social Affairs is finalizing a protection scheme for children who are separated from their parents due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which is caused by self-isolation or the death of a parent. Minister of Social Affairs Tri Rismaharini stated that the state needs to allocate a budget to provide protection for these children, including orphans. The Ministry of Social Affairs is discussing the possibility of a budget allocation for this purpose with the Ministry of Finance. "I have spoken to the Minister of Finance so that it can be supported from the budget. Assistance for children is the state's obligation. As mandated by the constitution in Article 34 of the 1945 Constitution, that the poor and abandoned children are cared for by the state," Risma said in a statement in Jakarta, quoted by Antara, Thursday, August 19. The Ministry of Social Affairs is currently finalizing the aid scheme with the Ministry of Finance and Bappenas. Because it's not easy to decide on the right aid scheme due to very diverse conditions. "Right now it's being finalized. It's not easy (to draw up an aid scheme), because Indonesia is vast and has various regional characteristics. "Social assistance from the state must still comply with the principles of accountability, for example by referring to population data. For children whose residential identity is properly recorded on the family card, it is easier to process administratively. However, those who are not registered require further procedures. Based on data from the COVID-19 Handling Task Force as of July 20, 2021, there were 11,045 children who were orphaned, orphaned or orphaned. COVID-19. 777 of them died. The level of risk of children is very high for exposure to COVID-19. Therefore, the government has set a policy of accelerating vaccination for children at least 12 years of age.