Indonesia expands women, child protection initiatives to 337 villages

Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Indonesia Shared Space (RBI) program has been implemented in 337 villages across the country during the first two years of the Prabowo-Gibran administration, Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection Minister Arifah Fauzi said.

“We are also expanding the involvement of regional governments and communities through the Indonesia Shared Space program, which has been implemented in 337 villages across 99 districts and cities,” she said in Jakarta on Wednesday.

Fauzi said the program is part of her ministry’s strategy to encourage local governments and communities to work together to address issues affecting women and children, including women’s empowerment, family resilience, and child protection.

“The RBI program has generated positive practices, including in Marunda, North Jakarta, where scholarships were provided to 32 schoolchildren and university students,” the minister said.

She also cited the program’s implementation in Mendalo Darat Village, Jambi Province, where budget allocations have been earmarked for initiatives focused on women and children.

“Our success is not measured solely by the number of programs implemented or activities carried out,” Fauzi said.

She emphasized that the ministry aims to ensure that more women have opportunities to thrive, more victims of violence receive protection, and more Indonesian children can grow up safely and have better futures.

“Empowered women and protected children are vital to Indonesia’s future,” she said.

The Ministry of Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection launched the RBI program as a collaborative initiative to strengthen women’s empowerment and child protection through community-based activities in villages and kelurahan, or urban wards.

The program builds on the Women-Friendly and Child-Caring Village (DRPPPA) initiative introduced under former minister Bintang Puspayoga, who served from 2019 to 2024.

As an expanded version of the DRPPPA initiative, RBI seeks to involve a broader range of ministries and government agencies in its implementation.

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Translator: A.P. Dewi, Tegar Nurfitra
Editor: Primayanti
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