Less Than One Dollar to Learn, Too Much to Bear: The Tragic Death of a 10-Year-Old in Indonesia

JAKARTA, RAKYAT NEWS — Amnesty International Indonesia has described the death of an elementary school student in East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) as a tragic consequence of structural poverty and a grave failure of the state to protect human rights.

The victim, a fourth-grade student identified by the initials YBS, was found dead near a hut where he lived with his grandmother in Ngada Regency on January 29, 2026. Local police investigations, as reported by the media, indicate that the 10-year-old boy allegedly took his own life after his family was unable to buy him notebooks and pens costing less than Rp10,000 (under one US dollar).

“This is a heartbreaking humanitarian tragedy and a harsh slap in the face for a state that has failed to protect human rights,” said Usman Hamid, Executive Director of Amnesty International Indonesia.

“What happened in NTT is the product of structural poverty. We extend our deepest condolences to the family of the deceased.”

He stressed the irony of national budget priorities, noting that while a child allegedly ended his life over the inability to afford basic school supplies, the state is allocating trillions of rupiah to other programs.

“When a child responds to extreme poverty by taking his own life because his family cannot afford notebooks and pens, the state plans to spend Rp17 trillion on Board of Peace membership fees, Rp350 trillion on the Free Nutritious Meals program, and Rp400 trillion on the Merah Putih Cooperative,” he said.

According to Amnesty International Indonesia, the government must urgently evaluate its policy programs and ensure concrete measures to address poverty. Poverty, the organization emphasized, makes children highly vulnerable to human rights violations.