Mahija's Efforts for to Increase Waste Workers’s Recognition

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

Unfortunately, 10% of this number do not possess birth certificates due to various factors, one of which is the unregistered marital status of parents who married without official documents, the absence of a Resident Identity Card (KTP) for parents, and other administrative obstacles.

These cases are most commonly found in poor urban areas. In fact, birth registration is a primary pillar of child protection, and a birth certificate is a fundamental right of children, a key requirement for fulfilling their rights to health and education.

Furthermore, without a birth certificate and proof of age, children can be arrested and placed in adult detention facilities if they become involved in criminal cases.

Regarding KTP ownership, data from the Poverty Alleviation Acceleration Agency (BP Taskin) shows that out of approximately 10 million waste pickers across 29 provinces in Indonesia, half do not possess a KTP. Naturally, many of their children are also unable to take school exams or continue formal education due to the lack of a birth certificate.

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

Mahija views workers in the waste sector, especially waste pickers, as key pillars in Indonesia’s recycling system, which is still dominated by the informal sector. To this end, we are undertaking various technical efforts to assist waste pickers.

In the process of issuing birth certificates, we prioritize the most crucial requirement: KTP ownership, which must be achieved through data collection and parental identity verification. As of April 2025, we have successfully collected 516 data points. After re-verifying this data, it was found that 361 waste pickers do not have identification cards. Of this number, 45% are women and 31% are children who do not yet have birth certificates.

Currently, Mahija has issued 63 population documents (KTP, Family Cards, Birth Certificates, BPJS/KIS health insurance), but is still facing obstacles with 311 data points where documents have not yet been issued. The main obstacles include the absence of supporting documents, difficulty finding guarantors (especially for waste pickers), lack of village approval for waste pickers’ documents, and unregistered marital status and unresolved parental divorce cases for children’s birth certificates.

After encountering access constraints from several sub-districts regarding identity document creation, Mahija coordinated with the DKI Jakarta Provincial Population and Civil Registration Office (Disdukcapil DKI) for Vulnerable Residents. An audience on March 5, 2025, resulted in assistance with mass biometric testing at the Disdukcapil office, with Mahija facilitating transportation for the waste pickers. However, Disdukcapil can only issue KTPs to those already registered with a National Identity Number (NIK); waste pickers without a NIK require a guarantor. Additionally, we also assist waste pickers in independently processing Birth Certificates, Family Cards, and BPJS according to the directions of the relevant agencies.

In addition to KTP data collection, Mahija is also focusing on facilitating birth certificates for waste pickers’ children, which are generally required for school examinations. Currently, Mahija has successfully issued two birth certificates. Furthermore, we have also activated 13 BPJS accounts to improve waste pickers’ access to healthcare and issued 21 KTPs as supporting documents for processing children’s birth certificates.