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Japan Fund Will Help Female Street Children In Indonesia

JAKARTA, INDONESIA (1 November 2000) - The Asian Development Bank today launched its Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction with a US$1 million project to help young female street children in Indonesia. The fund, which has resources of US$90 million and is financed by the Japanese Government, was established last May to provide grants for poverty reduction activities that add substantive value to projects financed by ADB.

The project will help victims of sexual abuse and child prostitution in Yogyakarta by providing rehabilitation, medical, and health services. A 1999 survey of 12 cities found that girls make up 20 percent of Indonesia's estimated 170,000 street children but that programs for street children have concentrated on boys. The survey also found that the majority of the female street children are between the ages of 4 and 18.

"We hope to help nearly 500 female street children with counseling services and health and medical care in collaboration with nongovernment organizations (NGOs). We will provide prenatal and postnatal care for pregnant girls and young mothers. We will also treat girls with sexually transmitted infections. In addition, we will train social workers to deal with female street children and organize public information campaigns against child prostitution," says Kus Hardjanti, ADB's task manager for the project.

If successful, the Yogyakarta pilot scheme will be replicated in other urban centers. It will:

• establish counseling programs for female street children who are either at risk of, or who have experienced, sexual abuse;
• evaluate different approaches to prevention and rehabilitation; and
• develop culturally acceptable, cost-effective, and sustainable programs to help the government, NGOs, and social workers address the needs of nearly 34,000 female street children.

The project will also provide low-cost accommodation for pregnant girls and young mothers. Partnerships will be developed between government, NGOs, and the private sector to generate financial support for project sustainability. The project also supports ADB's initiatives under the Social Protection Sector Development Program and Health and Nutrition Sector Development Program, both of which are helping provide basic education, counseling and training for street children.

Yogyakarta has been selected because it has a number of NGOs that are addressing elements of the program and its University of Gajah Mada's Department of Social and Women's Affairs and Reproductive Health can help implement and evaluate the program.

The total cost of the project is estimated at US$1.1 million equivalent. The Indonesian Government and NGOs will finance the balance. The executing agency will be the National Welfare Agency of the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare. NGOs will implement the project, which is scheduled to be completed in March 2002.

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