Lost in translation: How KESEMPATAN project ignores rural complexities of child labour in agriculture setting in Indonesia

This study examines a policy approach to eliminating child labour that impacts the process of social exclusion, using a case study of the KESEMPATAN project as a policy intervention in Indonesia that focuses on eliminating child labour in the agricultural sector. Various concepts of child labour and social exclusion were used in this study, with the following research question: What are the limitations and constraints of the KESEMPATAN project's approach to tackling child labour in agriculture that results in the social exclusion of working children? This question was addressed through document analysis and interviews with five informants from KESEMPATAN stakeholders, including NGOs, the Government, and the Business Sector. The findings of this study reveal that the abolition of child labour policy in KESEMPATAN was derived from a global context that adopted a formal/industrializing set of regulations that overlooked the actual agricultural working conditions that have shifted into the informal/domestic work sector, thereby impacting the rationalities that tend to produce stereotypical and problematic perceptions of child labour. Exploring the limitations of this policy approach helped argue that the KESEMPATAN approach leads to the trapping of children in the structural process of social exclusion; children are excluded from state social protection, societal participation, and valued work. In conclusion, these findings lead to a need for future research: a new policy framework must recognize the agency of children and consider the social factors that influence their experiences, which implies leaving behind a universal solution and recognizing the various contexts in which child labour takes place. As child labour is a structural issue, such as poverty and lack of education, policy interventions should also be directed and linked to these underlying factors.