Remember when we were in a position to explain ourselves to others? It is not always easy to articulate our thoughts and experiences to others, especially those who might not come from similar positions. This also happens to children in social research contexts. As children’s issues are increasingly moved onto the public stage, there is more interest in gaining an understanding of children’s lives and conditions. Commonly, research that explores children’s lives is conducted by talking to adult proxies such as parents, guardians, teachers, healthcare workers, and other professionals. However, increasingly there are efforts to listen directly to children, to understand the ways they themselves view and experience their lives.
If you want to work ethically with children in your research in Indonesia and/or are curious about how children can meaningfully participate in research, this handbook is for you.
This handbook was developed by a group of multidisciplinary research and program practitioners who are of Indonesian origin or have worked for a significant period of time in different parts of Indonesia. Not only is this handbook informed by years of fieldwork, but it has also gone through consultations with several researchers, academicians, program implementers, and development partners, all working on issues revolving child protection and wellbeing. We hope this handbook will be relevant to people working in or with those capacities.
