Around 500 children served by World Vision Indonesia in the Susukan Area Development Program (ADP) in East Jakarta joined a peaceful rally on July 23, Indonesia’s National Children’s Day, to raise awareness of one of Indonesia’s biggest child rights issues -- birth certificates.

The children walked three kilometres from the office of Ciracas urban village to the office of Susukan urban village, carrying banners and posters calling on parents to register their children.

“If birth certificates are important, why do only 55 percent of children under five and 40 percent of all Indonesian children have one?” called out Sabam Christo, one of the two Masters of Ceremonies at the event. “What will be the fate of the other 45 million children?”

Without a birth certificate, children in Indonesia’s cities and villages find it harder to access government services such as schooling and healthcare.

On their arrival in the office of Ciracas urban village, the children symbolically handed over a list of the children who didn’t have birth certificates to the urban village officers.

The officers, prepared and supportive, responded to the children’s action by explaining clearly the procedure of obtaining a birth certificate.

The rally was one of many events supported by World Vision to raise child rights awareness on or around National Children’s Day. World Vision encourages children’s participation in such events, believing that children have the talent and potential to do great things.

Elsewhere in urban Jakarta, around 2,000 children from World Vision’s urban projects held a concert in Taman Mini “Indonesia Indah” miniature park. During this event, the children stressed that possessing a birth certificate is an essential need and that parents should help their children to obtain birth certificates as soon as possible.

In Poso, Central Sulawesi, more than 1,000 kindergarten and elementary school children joined a rally in celebration of Children’s Day to gain a promise from the head of Poso district, Inkiriwang, that their rights would be fulfilled.

And in Meulaboh, Aceh province, children celebrated Children’s Day by simulating a “child country” called Nannggroe Aneuk Madani, where activities and decisions were in the hands of children.

Iin Fatimah from Cilincing, a first year student of senior high school, is happy to have celebrated Children’s Day.

“I’m happy that I joined this activity because I had a chance to make many new friends and especially to get to know about children’s rights.”