Two Indonesian Students Represent Nation at ASEAN Children's Forum

Two Indonesian children, Misfan Nazriel Faturrahman from Sekolah Rakyat Menengah Atas (SRMA) 13 Bekasi and Jasmia Kusuma Dewi from Sekolah Rakyat DKI Jakarta, have represented Indonesia as delegates at the 9th ASEAN Children's Forum (ACF) 2026. The forum, a platform for children from ASEAN countries to discuss child protection efforts, was held on August 4-5, 2026, in Putrajaya, Malaysia, in a hybrid format, under the theme "Shielding ASEAN Childhood: Say No to Violence." Misfan and Jasmia participated in the entire forum agenda online from Aston Imperial Bekasi, accompanied by their teachers and mentors from the Ministry of Social Affairs (Kemensos) and the Ministry of Women's Empowerment and Child Protection (KemenPPPA). During the forum, they, along with other delegates, engaged in presentations, group discussions, and the formulation of joint recommendations regarding violence against children, which will serve as input for child protection policies in the ASEAN region. The Indonesian delegation presented five forms of violence against children of concern in Indonesia: physical violence, psychological or emotional violence, sexual violence, digital violence, and neglect. Misfan stated that all presentation materials were prepared by the four Indonesian delegates themselves, from drafting the text to ensuring all data was verified. "We created everything ourselves, from videos to texts, through discussions and brainstorming. We used data from several ministries, then fact-checked and double-checked it, including ensuring the language was correct and polite," he was quoted as saying on Wednesday (5/8). Preparations for the forum also took place with their accompanying teachers at their respective schools for about a week. Besides deepening the issue of violence against children, they also studied English terminology related to the discussion topics. Tahta Aulia Pangestika, an English teacher at Sekolah Rakyat DKI Jakarta, expressed pride in seeing her students represent Indonesia. "This is the first time students from Sekolah Rakyat have participated in an international forum. We conducted extensive research on cases occurring in Indonesia and ASEAN. For about a week, we focused on brainstorming and learning the terms to be used in the forum," she said. For Jasmia, the opportunity to be an Indonesian delegate initially made her nervous. However, the experience became a turning point that fostered her self-confidence. "Before, I was really nervous because this was my first time attending such a big event. But on the day, it wasn't as scary as I thought. After going through it, I realized I could do it," Jasmia remarked. Prior to the ASEAN forum, Jasmia was active in various school activities, including participating in Bahasa Bulan competitions, delivering speeches in English, and acting as a master of ceremonies at the Sekolah Rakyat Open House, which was attended by Minister of Social Affairs Saifullah Yusuf (Gus Ipul) and the Governor of DKI Jakarta Pramono Anung. "Previously, I mostly participated in regular competitions. Then I gave English speeches and was an MC at school events. So, this is a completely new experience for me," she said. Misfan, on the other hand, admitted he initially imagined the forum would be a very tough challenge, bringing together participants from various ASEAN countries. "At first, I thought it would definitely be difficult because it's at the ASEAN level and the participants must be skilled. But I just went for it. Don't feel it's too hard, be confident in your own abilities," Misfan said. Outside of academics, Misfan is also actively involved in various competitions and organizations, including the National Science Olympiad in Mathematics, Indonesian and English debates, Paskibra, pencak silat, and taekwondo. "I'm still exploring a lot. I participate in OSN, Indonesian and English debates, Paskibra, silat, up to taekwondo. For subjects, I like science the most because I want to pursue aerospace engineering," he said. Tahta hopes this achievement will be the beginning of more accomplishments from Sekolah Rakyat students at both national and international levels. "We hope that other Sekolah Rakyat students will also be able to participate in similar activities, whether in English or other fields, up to the national and even international level," she said. Source: CNN Indonesia