Kartunet - The availability of accurate disability data in Indonesia remains a tangled web that has yet to be unraveled. The public is often confused by the striking differences in figures released by various agencies. The 2015 Intercensal Population Survey (SUPAS) recorded the number of persons with disabilities at 9% of the total population, or approximately 21 million people, while the 2018 National Socio-Economic Survey (SUSENAS) reported a figure of 12%, or about 30.3 million people.
Root Causes: Sectoral Ego and Differing Mandates
The discrepancies in disability figures circulating among the public arise because each ministry and government agency holds different perspectives and data collection mandates. For instance, the Basic Education Data (Dapodik) automatically records only children with disabilities who are currently attending school, thereby overlooking those who are not enrolled. On the other hand, general election data (KPU) only counts individuals with disabilities aged 17 and above or those who are married.
Meanwhile, the Integrated Social Welfare Data (DTKS), managed by the Ministry of Social Affairs, operates with a social and economic perspective. As its primary task is to address poor and vulnerable communities, DTKS data specifically captures groups of persons with disabilities who fall into the pre-prosperous category. These differences in instruments and targets are what cause the exact number of persons with disabilities in Indonesia to always be unclear.
Fatal Impact: Loss of Social Protection Rights
This chaotic data collection is not merely a matter of figures on paper; it has a profoundly fatal impact on the lives of persons with disabilities. Approximately 94.5% of persons with severe disabilities do not or have not yet received benefits from state social protection programs. Field data indicates that only about 5.5% of persons with severe disabilities have been covered by social protection systems, such as the Family Hope Program (PKH) or Severe Disability Social Assistance (ASPDB).
This condition of exclusion is exacerbated by the limited reach of direct data collection among the community. A survey found that 81.7% of persons with disabilities claimed never to have been registered by local governments, and 95.4% stated they had never been registered by the central government. Without accurate data, various affirmative policies and social assistance often miss their targets or never even reach those who need them most.
Towards "One Data" Through NIK Integration
To address this data crisis, efforts are now underway to harmonize towards "One Data" by integrating Socio-Economic Registration Data (Regsosek), DTKS, and P3KE into a National Single Socio-Economic Data system. The main key to this synchronization lies in the use of the National Identity Number (NIK), managed through the Population Administration Information System (SIAK) under the Directorate General of Population and Civil Registration (Dukcapil).
Through the merging of these various databases, the government has identified approximately 15 million data entries for persons with disabilities. Nevertheless, this data cannot be taken at face value; a field verification process (ground checking) is absolutely necessary to ascertain the degree of disability and the current socio-economic conditions of the listed individuals.
Conclusion
The unification of data through NIK integration is a fundamental foundation to ensure that no person with disabilities is left behind in the development process. However, this sophisticated system also demands active participation from the grassroots. Families and persons with disabilities must overcome any feelings of shame or reluctance and proactively report their disability status so that the state can truly be present and provide equitable fulfillment of rights. (DPM)
References:
- Bappenas, KSP, AIPJ2, & JPODI (2021). Monitoring the Fulfillment of Disability Rights.
- "Why Is Disability Data in Indonesia Always Different? KND Commissioner Speaks Out! | Pertuni Media" (YouTube).