Brigita's Here!

In June 2016, Ahmad Zaini and Adi Nugroho created a petition that asked the Indonesian House of Representatives to increase paternity leave from 2 days to 2 weeks. Law No. 13 of 2003 on Manpower mandated two days of paid paternity leave for the birth of a child or in the case of miscarriage. Zaini and Nugroho, the founders of the fathers' movement known as 'Ayah Ada' aimed to improve the Indonesian parenting ecosystem by implementing better policies through their petition. This petition that was made on 2016 International Father’s Day, got 32,112 supporters, and went nowhere. Regrettably, Irgan Mahfiz , a senator from the House of Representatives, argued that paternity leave is unusual and unnecessary. “It is western people’s tradition. Do not bring it to Indonesia,” said Mahfiz. What a shame.  Fast forward to date: Indonesia has recently enacted new legislation, known as UU Kesehatan Ibu dan Anak , which focuses on maternal and child welfare during the first 1,000 days of...

Nearly a year after enacting the new health law, the Indonesian government issued the Government Regulation ( Peraturan Pemerintah ) Number 28 or  GR 28/2024 on July 26, 2024. This regulation implements Health Law No. 17 of 2023 with more clarification and less redundance. It accommodates 1,1172 articles, a lot more than the law’s 458 articles. Furthermore, the regulation delivers a range of topics, including: (a) tobacco products and electronic cigarettes; (b) processed foods; (c) digital health technologies; (d) mental health; (f) maternal, infant, and child health; (g) hospitals; (h) pharmaceuticals and medical services; (i) people with disabilities; and (j) sexual and reproductive health and rights. GR 28/2024 encompasses two progressive regulations that address health concerns. Firstly, the restrictions and prohibitions on the sale of tobacco products. Secondly, the initiatives in organizing and enhancing safety and quality for mothers and infants. Tobacco products and elect...

This year, I spent my first summer in Seattle. Months before, I imagined having a chill summer where I could explore many places in Washington State or elsewhere. I never imagined spending part of my summertime with new parents and their babies, facilitating conversation in English. But in a surprising turn of events, I had the valuable opportunity to volunteer as a Group Leader at PEPS.   Shout out to the Leader Recruiter, Anushree Dasgupta, who opened the gate for me!    As an Indonesian, I must admit that I have a solid fear and insecurity regarding my English-speaking abilities. What if I am unable to express my ideas well? What if my accent sounds weird? What if I could not keep up with the conversation? And a ton of other what-ifs.   My primary responsibility as a PEPS Group Leader was to lead weekly discussions with new parents in the northeast area of Seattle for 12 weeks. In my group, there were 7 parents, not to mention their adorable babies! Every Wed...