Atiyah's Self-Proving

Diterbitkan pada | Jumat, 21 Oktober 2022


Siti Atiyah is a 21-year-old teenage girl from Tamanjaya Village, usually called Atiyah.

Currently, Atiyah is writing a thesis at the University of Sultan Ageng Tirtayasa, Faculty of Teacher Training and Education. Studying and getting a college-level education is an achievement for young girls from Tamanjaya Village because finishing high school requires extraordinary struggle and enthusiasm. This is a story of her journey.

Previously, Atiyah attended Madrasah Aliyah (Islamic high school) 4 Pandeglang, which is moreless 36 km from home. To get to school, where lessons start at 7.15 AM, Atiyah must depart by transportation the earliest from Tamanjaya village, which is at 3.00 AM. This means that Atiyah must wake up no later than 02.30 AM to prepare for school and the road to where public transport hangs. The condition of the damaged roads is quite long, causing it to take longer to travel to school, so Atiyah is often late. Other alternatives include renting a boarding room near the school, but it costs more, which is burdensome for Atiyah's parents. The opportunity to go to school is precious to her; as a result, Atiyah was accepted at the university (UNTIRTA) through the national selection (SNMPTN) or invited as a student by the university and received a scholarship from the first semester.

Covid-19 has resulted in many children dropping out of school, especially girls.

At the end of 2021, Atiyah and several other youths, with support from YAPPIKA- ActionAid, conducted research in Tamanjaya Village. There are two topics studied, and the first is about teenage girls dropping out of school to work in the city or engaging in child marriage.


This study's results show that, generally, parents in Tamanjaya village wish for at least education up to high school for their children. Still, most of them drop out of school because of the weak economy and lack of funds. The government has waived the cost of education up to the high school level; however, the nearest high school is 18 km from Tamanjaya Village, so school operational costs and difficult transportation access are the main reasons Tamanjaya children only attend junior high school. Another reason is the local society's point that boys are prioritized because they will become the head of the family and be responsible for their family later in life.

The results of the second study on child marriage, caused by unwanted pregnancies due to out-of-control young people, ironically, early marriage has increased because parents do not want their children to commit adultery.

Knowing the results of the research, Atiyah and 14 young women from Tamanjaya Village conducted joint research, disseminated the results, and provided counselling to schools on the two topics studied. As a form of response to the efforts of these young women, the junior high school that was visited then facilitated the students to form a forum where they discussed the problems found, both issues in the family and problems at school.

Now all the youth involved in the research are becoming more focused on school and its activities. Their achievements increased and became the pride of the family.

Because of their ability to speak and provide counselling, these youths are involved in various school activities.

Furthermore, the results of the research were also disseminated to the village government level; the results, together with the Tamanjaya Village Women's Forum making rules on the protection of women and children, which have now been designated as Parkades (Village Head Regulations) and have been ratified up to the Sekda level (Municipal Secretary). With this regulation, all violence committed against women and children can be brought to justice through clear legal channels, perpetrators can be prosecuted, and there is legal protection for victims.

Atiyah is a teenager who actively voices the importance of protecting the rights of women and children in her village. This courage was obtained because Atiyah and his family had received inadequate treatment from other people. This incident made Atiyah determined that no one should humiliate her family and those who are economically disadvantaged.


"Lack of (Economy) capability does not justify unfair treatment. Everyone has their rights and obligations. Living in society will be more fun if we all understand that," Atiyah explained.

For Atiyah, involvement in the Tamanjaya Youth forum is a testament to himself. Being helpful and providing long-term benefits to society is a success. This pride is what Atiyah carries with her wherever she goes.

"Always be yourself and adapt without losing your identity." Be a reminder to yourself wherever he is because belief is what brings success. In May 2022, Atiyah had the opportunity to participate in the GPDRR (Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction) forum, a multi-stakeholder forum initiated by the United Nations to review progress, share knowledge and discuss developments in Disaster Risk Management (DRR). Atiyah shared stories on the Indonesian Resilience Stage about the problems of youth in disaster-prone areas and brought a letter of Petition for School Children addressed to the President of the Republic of Indonesia, Joko Widodo asking for road repairs to their village.


As a result, there have been road improvements to Tamanjaya village, although there is still a long way to go. "If the road to our village improved, then the travel time to the nearest high school is reduced from 1 hour 20 minutes to only 20 minutes," explained Atiyah. It is crucial to accelerate this road repair because of the urgent need for transportation, not only for school children but also to raise the economic level and health of the residents of Tamanjaya Village.

"Besides repairing roads, the Tamanjaya youths and I have to fight to open health facilities such as the Puskesmas

(Community Health Center) in our village and high school level schools. If all of this is realized, then the welfare of the people of Tamanjaya will be easier to fight for because of the adequate facilities and supporting facilities".

The struggle of these young women in the village close to Ujungkulon (the far corner of Java Island) will continue. Step by step, Atiyah, who lives in this disaster-area village, will continue her journey till the next self- challenge.