The Development of Children Forum Capacity for Advocacy of Smoke-Free Area

The right to healthy pollution-free environment has been established to be one of human rights by UN’s Council [1] and is one of criteria for the initiative of Child-friendly City promoted by UNICEF [2].  Any form of cigarette product contributes to environmental pollution and causes many diseases and millions deaths annually. In 2019, more than 8 million people died due to smoking habit-related diseases [3, 4]. Global data shows at least 38 million adolescents aged 13-15 years consuming varying tobacco products – 25 millions boys and 13 million girls. The largest number of adolescents aged 13-15 years consuming tobacco is found in South East Asia (10 millions or 27% of global total). More than 18 millions adolescents consuming tobacco – or 48% of global – live in the countries with lower-middle income [5].

Global Youth Tobacco Survey in Indonesia in 2019 [6] found 19.2% students, 35.6% boys and 3.5% girls consuming tobacco product. 76.6% of smoker students (5125 students aged 13-15 years)  buy cigarette in shop, small shop, street vendor, or kiosk. Out of smoking students, 60.6% are not prevented from buying it based on their age. Not only smokers but also those exposed to cigarette smoke or second-hand smoke (SHS) experience the effect of cigarette on health. 67.2% of Indonesian adolescents are exposed to cigarette smoke in open space, 73.5% boys and 61.2% girls. 

The issuance of smoke-free area is an attempt of preventing the cigarette product pollution in public space. Framework Convention on Tobacco Control World Health Organization (WHO FCTC) develops MPOWER (Monitoring tobacco use, Protecting people from tobacco smoke, Quitting tobacco, Warning about the dangers of tobacco, Enforcing tobacco advertising, promotion & sponsorship bans, Raising taxes on tobacco) to be the guidelines for the implementation of tobacco controlling policy [7]. Indonesia has not ratified WHO FCTC yet but the number of local regulation about smoke-free area increases rapidly from four in 2009 to 375 local regulation in 2021 [8]. 

Surakarta city the one awarded to be a Child-Friendly City for Utama (Main) category or one level toward full category. To meet the children’s right to education, leisure time utilization, cultural activity, and healthy and clean activity space, Surakarta City Government has constructed Taman Cerdas (Smart Park) as a place to get education/knowledge, talent/art creation/skill development, library, information technology introduction, and playground, recreational place, and the place to introduce and to adapt to environment [9]. The existence of Public Park for children has not been able to support Surakarta City to achieve the full category of Child-friendly city predicate. The constraint is related to the public Park in Surakarta city that has not been free of cigarette smoke and advertisement, promotion and sponsor. Until 2018, Surakarta City has not had local regulation about smoke-free area.

Forum Anak Surakarta (Surakarta Children’s Forum) as a medium for children participation in development is fighting for the children’s right to environment health by urging the ratification of local regulation about smoke-free area in Surakarta City. This policy advocating attempt cannot rely on the children power only. Socialization and children capacity development are needed to voice their interest and to fight for the rights. The empowerment of Surakarta Children’s Forum is conducted in collaboration with a Non-Government Organization, Yayasan Kakak (Kakak Foundation). Considering some countries’ experience with successful law implementation requiring indoor workplace and public space to be 100% smoke-free, WHO recommends the importance of involving civil society to achieve an effective legislation [10]. The collaboration between civil institutional actors is important to build coalition to mobilize resource to advocate the smoke-free policy [11]. The power of cigarette industry to maintain its business inhibits the 100-percent implementation of smoke-free area regulation in many countries; therefore Septiono’s [12] research concluded that an effective advocacy is needed to fight against tobacco intervention.  

Children capacity in policy advocacy becomes the subject of research rarely. Most studies focused on the advocacy of the fulfilment of children right and the child protection conducted by adults (parents, academicians, social workers, NGOs, politicians, and other professionals) [13-15]. The point of view seeing children as an individual with no capacity to participate in public decision making inhibit children participation in entire public policy procedure. The formulation of policy is perceived as a political area rather than children domain. Convention on Children Right [16] recognizes children participation in development planning having an impact on children welfare as the right of children that should be fulfilled by the government. Children, in this case is conceived as having evolving capacity [17]. Capacity development is important to improve children participation in solving all issues pertaining to the fulfilment of its rights.

Considering the basic elements of capacity development suggested by Eade [18], Kenny [19] divides the framework of capacity development into three: physical capacity development, human and cultural capacity, and social capital capacity. Using Kenny’s capacity development framework, this research aims to study type, form, activity and outcome of Forum Anak Surakarta’s capacity development process to advocate the local regulation of Surakarta City concerning smoke-free area.

3.1 Capacity development of the Surakarta Children's Forum for policy advocacy on smoke-free area

Children Forum is a communication forum managed by children under government’s mentoring as the medium of children participation, the members of which are children individually or the representatives of children group, as a medium of hearing and accommodating children’s aspiration, voice, opinion, will, and need in the development process. Children Forum is established in tier from national, province, regency or municipal, subdistrict to kelurahan (urban village) level. Children Forum functions to be a medium of children participation that accommodates children aspiration, voice, opinion, wish, and need concerning the fulfilment of Children’s Right and Special Protection in the development process corresponding to the level of region where the Children Forum is located [21].

Children Forum has been established in 54 kelurahans and 5 subdistricts in Surakarta City. Surakarta Children’s Forum is the children forum at municipal level serving as pioneer and reporter through participating in the development related to the fulfilment of children right and protection. As a pioneer, this forum plays some roles including, among others, mapping and selecting issue corresponding to children need and environmental condition, and providing alternative solution to the issue. As a pioneer, the role of Surakarta is played based on self-consciousness and volition principles considering children characteristic, maturity, capacity, and security principle. Capacity development was conducted to enable the Children Forum to play its role as a pioneer and a reporter all at once. The improvement of capacity is conducted by means of advocacy, facilitation, and collaboration. 

A pollution-free playing, recreational and creativity environment is one of issues related to the children need. To fight for the healthy environment, Surakarta Children’s Forum in collaboration with a Non-Government Organization, Kakak Foundation, urges the demand for a children activity environment free of cigarette smoke and advertisement. The measures taken are to advocate the local regulation about the smoke-free area and to monitor its implementation in Surakarta City. The participation of Children Forum in the advocacy of smoke-free area policy was conducted through facilitating the partner, NGO Kakak Foundation. The initial stage was preceded with the capacity development through socialization to give insight into the impact of cigarette production on children’s health. The facilitator of Surakarta Children’s Forum commented on the original process of collaboration with Kakak Foundation as follows: “Originally, Kakak Foundation invited us to hold discussion to equate our perceptions. We were made aware that there is still a gap in the fulfilment of children’s rights, and it indicates the Child-friendly City in the indicator of smoke-free area. Eventually, we agree to give advocacy jointly to this policy”.

Having built the children’s awareness or consciousness, the next stage of capacity development was conducted through providing training about cigarette advertisement, promotion, and sponsor monitoring. Surakarta Children’s Forum along with Kakak Foundation collected data on and mapped cigarette advertisement, promotion and sponsor in Surakarta City. From the result of monitoring in 2019 in five subdistricts, it can be found 1450 cigarette promoting advertisements and sponsors in varying forms in Surakarta City. Monitoring was conducted through “Collecting Cigarette Butts (Pungut Puntung Rokok)” in nine playgrounds and Balaikota Surakarta (Surakarta Mayor Office) and successfully collecting about 9000 cigarette butts (as shown in Figure 1). The data collected from mapping cigarette advertisement, promotion, and sponsor and action of collecting cigarette butt were compiled in book and other visual media to be media of campaigning for the danger of cigarette product. The socialization of cigarette hazard was conducted by Children Forum in the places where many people assemble like car free day (CFD) held routinely on Sunday along Slamet Riyadi Street, constituting the main street in Surakarta City.

In addition to being the material of campaign to socialize the hazard of cigarette, the documentation of the result of cigarette advertisement, promotion, and sponsor mapping and the action of collecting cigarette butts become the media of advocacy to the ratification of local regulation about smoke-free area in Surakarta City. It is confirmed by the Head of Surakarta Children’s Forum stating that: “This result becomes data to give evidence to the DPRD (Dewan Perwakilan Rakyat Daerah or  Regional People's Representative Assembly) that in Surakarta City our children are surrounded by cigarette ads, promotion, and sponsor. We can use this evidence to give advocation to the local regulation about smoke-free area. We - Forum Anak Surakarta and Yayasan Kakak – processed the materials to be filed during the hearing. The hearing session was held with the DPRD as the local legislative council and the Mayor of Surakarta. In that session, we said all of our complaint, everything we have encountered and felt related to the hazard of cigarette. Thus, this advocacy activity brings a great impact on the fulfilment of children’s right to a healthy environment in Surakarta City” [22].

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Figure 1. Action of collecting cigarette butts in Taman Cerdas (Smart Park) and public park (documentation of Forum Anak Surakarta and Pemuda Penggerak)

The collaboration between Surakarta Children’s Forum and Kakak Foundation is the driver of the ratification of Peraturan Daerah Tentang  Kawasan Tanpa Rokok (Local Regulation about Smoke-free area). “From the result of hearing session, the Mayor of Surakarta instructed the corresponding service office (Health Service Office) to develop Local Regulation about Smoke-free area, one of which will govern the prohibition of cigarette advertisement, promotion, and sponsor” (interview with the facilitator of Surakarta Children’s Forum, March 24, 2022). This is justified by the Head of Health Promotion and Empowerment Section of Surakarta City Health Service Office (Dinas Kesehatan Kota Surakarta) stating that the reason of why the Health Office brought the smoke-free area issue to the ratification of Local Regulation is the mandate of Law Number 36 of 2006 about Health and the higher number of cigarette smoke-induced disease cases. In addition, it is due to the pressure coming from Children Forum and NGO finding that most beginner smokers are children.

The result of cigarette ads, promotion, and sponsor mapping, and the action of collecting cigarette but conducted by Surakarta Children’s Forum and Kakak Foundation become the material of advocacy to initiate the Local Regulation about Smoke-free area in the Legislative Council and eventually to ratify it successfully in 2019. In relation to this, the facilitator of Surakarta Children’s Forum said that: “In 2019, after Forum Anak Surakarta and Yayasan Kakak held some campaigns, actions, and discussions, and launched book and publication, the Surakarta City Government issued Local Regulation Number 9 of 2019 about Smoke-free area, but no point discusses the prohibition of cigarette ads, promotion, and sponsor in the regulation. Therefore, from 2019 to today Yayasan Kakak along with Forum Anak Surakarta focuses on monitoring and advocating executive and legislative councils in relation to the implementation of the policy prohibiting cigarette advertisement, promotion, and sponsor in Surakarta City to protect children and their growth and development from tobacco product” (Interview, March 24, 2022).

Because the Local Regulation Number 9 of 2019 about Smoke-Free Area (Peraturan Daerah Nomor 9 Tahun 2019 tentang Kawasan Tanpa Rokok) only governs the prohibition of smoking in certain area but does not govern the cigarette advertisement, promotion, and sponsor, following the ratification of Local Regulation about Smoke-free area, the collaboration between Surakarta Children’s Forum and Kakak Foundation for the advocacy of smoke-free area was followed with the activities of monitoring the implementation of local regulation on smoke-free area and of keeping the children’s activity space free of cigarette smoke and promotion. Monitoring was conducted through an action of collecting cigarette  butts in taman cerdas, playground, and public space that has been done five times during 2019-2021. From the action of collecting cigarette butts in seven parks in Surakarta, 2495 cigarette butts were found in the period of January to June 2021.

The ratification of Local Regulation about Smoke-free area, in fact, did not automatically grow the awareness of not smoking in the smoke-free area among the people, as indicated with many cigarette butts still found in child playgrounds. Although the Local Regulation about Smoke-free area has been ratified, it has not been socialized maximally yet. To improve the people’s awareness of cigarette hazard, Forum Anak Surakarta collaborated with Kakak Foundation to improve the capacity of Children Forum in a tobacco controlling issue and in media publication. Then, during 2019 – today, Surakarta Children’s Forum collaborates with Yayasan Kakak in developing communication, information and education by distributing sticker or pamphlet about Smoke-free area in child playground and public park in Surakarta City. The socialization is also made by Forum Anak Surakarta by disseminating information in Radio Komunitas Anak Surakarta or Surakarta Children Community (Konata) Radio, newspaper, and social media like Twitter, Instagram, and Youtube.

Using the classification of capacity development suggested by Kenny [19], the collaboration between Forum Anak Surakarta and Yayasan Kakak can be classified into human and cultural capital capacity development, as explained in Table 1.

3.2 Children Forum participation as community empowerment

Children participation has been mandated in the Convention on Children Right, Children Protection Law and become the indicator of Child-Friendly City. Nevertheless, the participation of Surakarta Children’s Forum in the advocacy of policy having an impact on children right is still very limited [23]. The limited children participation in the advocacy of public service is due to adult domination; thus, the children-oriented approach becomes urgency [24]. Perception representing children as the dependent and vulnerable ones or the citizens that should be appreciated and respected has an impact on the law and policy related to the children’s right.

Javanese culture as the value of Surakarta City community views that children should appreciate and obey the parents’ decision and thereby it is uncommon for them to be involved in public decision making. This cultural value inhibits the participation of Surakarta Children’s Forum in  development planning discussion (Musyawarah Perencanaan Pembangunan) [25]. The view emphasizing the importance of the freedom of expression and equal (children) right in the attempt of social change is putatively due to the effect of liberalism [26]. Such view makes the participation of Surakarta Children’s Forum appear difficultly from inside the children in the advocacy of smoke-free area policy. An empowering attempt is needed to make the children aware of the importance of the policy issue to the children life sustainability.  

The Head of Kakak Foundation explains its attempt of involving Forum Anak Surakarta’s active participation in the enactment of Local Regulation about Smoke-free area as the attempt of training Children Forum to run its function as pioneer and reporter : “The function of Children Forum is, among others, to be pioneer. Pioneer is how they take action to result in the change. So, we can train them to do monitoring activity. For example, it can be accomplished through recording the number of cigarette advertisement, promotion, and sponsor in the area where they reside. The results of monitoring were collected and the fact shows a large number. Children become aware that they are so far surrounded by cigarette advertisement. Actually, the children know the advertisement, but they do not count them; thus they are surprised knowing the number.  Children Forum is also educated to be critical. Through the participation in the monitoring activity, someday they will be more critical. For example, they will update the data as it can be done easily. It is simple but has a great outcome. In addition to being a pioneer, the Children Forum also serves as Reporter. The result of monitoring is not only stored but also delivered (reported) to the one leading Surakarta City, the Mayor, in order to be the material of consideration in making policy related to tobacco controlling in his region” [27].

The empowerment attempt through developing the capacity of Children Forum conducted by Kakak Foundation can be classified into a children-oriented approach [24] that can be seen from process and output aspects [28, 29]. As a process, the facilitating NGO serves as facilitator that prepares Surakarta Children’s Forum for identifying problem, collecting supporting data and processing data into the material for advocacy. The impact of empowering process can be seen from the Forum Anak Surakarta’s ability of participating actively in the advocacy to urge the ratification of local regulation about smoke-free area, as explained by the Head of Forum Anak Surakarta, as follows : “The administrator and the Facilitator of Forum Anak Surakarta monitor cigarette advertisement, promotion, and sponsor in five subdistricts for two weeks. We monitored them on the street, near schools, and in playgrounds. The findings become the data to prove to DPRD (Legislative Assembly) that there are so many cigarette advertisements, promotion and sponsors in Surakarta City. Thus, children are surrounded with cigarette advertisement, promotion and sponsor. This data can be the material for the advocacy of Local Regulation about Smoke-Free Area. We attend hearing session with DPRD as legislative council and the Mayor of Surakarta. We inform them our grievances and events experienced by children related to cigarette hazard. After a long struggling process, eventually the Local Regulation of Surakarta City about Smoke-Free area is enacted. The monitoring process takes two weeks, but we can make the output of monitoring the data to file the Local Regulation about Smoke-free Area; thus this activity brings a great impact on the children health in Surakarta City” [22]. 

Viewed from the empowerment aspect, particularly from the impact, the collaboration between Surakarta Children’s Forum and NGO is important not only to the ratification of Local Regulation about Smoke-free Area, but also to reinforce the capacity or social capital through strengthening collaboration network beyond the government actors, as suggested by the facilitator of Surakarta Children’s Forum, as follows: “Forum Anak Surakarta in collaboration with Yayasan Kakak aims to improve the capacity and to do some activities and actions and to plan the fulfilment of children that has never been done previously by the government. In addition, Forum Anak Surakarta aims to strengthen the cooperation with outsiders rather than local government aiming to fulfil the children’s right in Surakarta City” (Interview with the Facilitator of Forum Anak Surakarta, 24 March, 2022).

The result of research proves that participative and inclusive attempts by involving (children) community can affect the change of policy toward the improved fulfilment of the children’s health right [30]. Training the children to be the advocate for their interest is an effective strategy to improve the children’s capacity. The development of capacity conducted by giving information about tobacco and its impact, industrial tactic through cigarette advertisement, promotion and sponsor, how to control tobacco based on data and advocacy skill [31].

The collaboration of Surakarta Children’s Forum and Kakak Foundation indirectly become a children educating media to build relation or network as the form of social capital capacity development [32]. Collaborating with Kakak Foundation makes Surakarta Children’s Forum have social network with NGO that can help reinforce its capacity to participate in fighting for the children’s right to do activities in healthy public space.

Using Gaventha’s empowerment theory [33], it can be concluded that the reinforcement of human capital capacity through socialization and improving the capacity of fighting for the advocacy of the ratification of Local Regulation about Smoke-free area has created the Forum Anak Surakarta’s power to fight for the children’s right to get safe playing space free of pollution that can endanger their health. The reinforcement of social capital support the power of Surakarta Children’s Forum to build relation (power with) that is very desirable to raise external support, in this case NGO having knowledge power, particularly in the term of socialization, empowerment, and advocacy of children’s rights. The constructed power, either power to or power with, will eventually grow confidence inside children (power within) that they have capacity to participate in building the fulfilment of children right and protection.