Indonesia reports progress in women and child protection services

Indonesia's Minister of Women Empowerment and Child Protection, Arifatul Choiri Fauzi, reported several advancements in women's empowerment and child rights over the last two years. Key indicators show a decrease in the gender wage gap from 21.89% in 2024 to 20.27% in 2025, alongside an increase in women in managerial positions from 35.49% to 36.68%.

Regarding child protection, the Child Protection Index rose from 80.32 to 81.98. Additionally, child marriage rates fell from 5.90% to 4.56%, and the percentage of child laborers decreased from 2.17% to 1.80%.

However, challenges remain in the distribution of protection services. As of September 2026, Regional Technical Implementation Units for the Protection of Women and Children (UPTD PPA) have been established in 34 provinces and 442 regencies/cities. Despite this growth from 407 units at the end of 2025, four provinces and 66 regencies/cities still lack these services. The Ministry noted that expanding coverage must be accompanied by improvements in professional staffing, facilities, budget allocation, and inter-agency coordination.