Mahija's Efforts for Access and Recognition of Recycling Champions

According to data from the National Socio-Economic Survey (Susenas) of the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) in 2024, there are around 80 million children aged 0-17 years in Indonesia, which is almost 30% of the total population. 

Unfortunately, 10% of this number do not have birth certificates due to various factors, including the unregistered marital status of parents who married without official documents, the absence of identity cards (KTP) for parents, and other administrative obstacles.

These cases are most common in poor urban areas. In fact, birth registration is one of the main pillars of child protection, and birth certificates are a basic right of children which is the main requirement for the fulfillment of health and education rights.

In addition, without birth certificates and proof of age, children can be arrested and placed in adult-only detention facilities, if it comes to criminal cases. 

When it comes to ID card ownership, data from the Agency for the Acceleration of Poverty Alleviation (BP Taskin) shows that, of the approximately 10 million waste pickers in 29 provinces in Indonesia, half do not have ID cards. Of course, many of their children are also unable to take exams at school, or continue their formal education, because they do not have birth certificates.

Various obstacles are still faced in the management of population documents, ranging from systemic barriers-such as the unavailability of population data that occurs in various regions, the need for indirect costs (even though the service is free), the lack of awareness about the importance of birth registration-to bureaucratic barriersto bureaucratic barriers, such as layered bureaucratic processes and a lack of synergy between agencies involved in issuing legal identity documents.

Mahija believes that waste sector workers, especially waste pickers, are the main pillars in Indonesia's recycling system, which is still dominated by the informal sector. For this reason, we are working on various technical matters to help waste pickers. 

In the process of issuing birth certificates, we prioritize the most important thing, namely the ownership of KTP, which must be achieved through data collection and verification of parental identity. As of April 2025, we have managed to collect 516 data.. After the data was re-verified, it was found that 361 waste pickers did not have identity cards. Of this number, 45% were women and 31% were children who did not have birth certificates.

To date, Mahija has published 63 population documents (KTP, Family Card, Birth Certificate, BPJS / KIS), but still constrained by 311 data that has not been issued. The main obstacles include the absence of supporting documents, difficulty in finding a guarantor (especially for scavengers), lack of urban village approval for scavenger documents, as well as unrecorded marital status and unfinished parental divorce for children's birth certificates.

After encountering access problems from several urban villages related to identity making, Mahija coordinated with the DKI Disdukcapil Vulnerable Population section. The hearing on March 5, 2025 resulted in assistance with a mass biometric test at the Disdukcapil office, with Mahija facilitating the scavengers' transportation. However, Disdukcapil can only issue ID cards to those with NIK; scavengers without NIK need a guarantor. In addition, we also help the scavengers apply for deeds, KK, and BPJS independently as directed by the relevant agencies.

In addition to ID card data collection, Mahija is also focusing on facilitating the birth certificates of scavenger children, which are generally needed for school exams. Currently, Mahija has successfully issued two birth certificates. In addition, we have also activated 13 BPJS to improve scavengers' access to health and issued 21 ID cards as supporting documents for children's birth certificates.

To gain wider support and speed up the process, we held an audience with the Indonesian Ministry of Women's Empowerment and Child Protection (PPPA). Received directly by the Minister of PPPA RI Mrs. Arifah Fauzi and her staff, we presented our latest data and findings on the birth certificate issuance process. During the occasion, Mahija received full support from the relevant Deputies to plan to open access and organize the procurement of birth certificates for children of waste workers and ID cards for their parents.