TheJakartaPost

Please Update your browser

Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.

Jakarta Post

National Children's Day : Protecting kids, giving them a voice

Inforial (The Jakarta Post)
Jakarta, Indonesia
Tue, July 26, 2016

Share This Article

Change Size

National Children's Day : Protecting kids, giving them a voice National Children's Day Celebration (-/-)

N

ational Children's Day this year once again is committed to raising awareness on the importance of having everyone in Indonesia do their part to ensure the well-being of children across the archipelago.

The theme of this year's National Children's Day is on the need to end violence against children. The theme was chosen as part of a disturbing rise in recent media reports of violence and exploitation of children. The theme was chosen as part of what the government sees as some of the most crucial issues facing the welfare of children in Indonesia.

"There are still many basic problems involving children. Like the prevalence of sexual violence against children, [the problems involving] children facing legal action, non-optimal nurturing, child abandonment, the use of drugs and other illegal substances, the protection of children against the harmful effects of pornography, HIV/AIDS, child trafficking, child prostitution and others," Women's Empowerment and Child Protection Minister Yohana Susana Yembise said.

Among these main issues, the government is highlighting three in particular—sexual violence against children, child marriages and child prostitution. These were singled out because of the way in which they have recently been on the rise, both in number and scale. These crimes violate the rights of children and prevent them from living decent, rewarding and dignified lives.

One major government effort to combating these trends of violence and abuse has been through Presidential Decree No. 5/2014 on national action against the sexual exploitation of children. This decree instructs all relevant stakeholders, businesses, the public and branches of government to combat this problem.  In addition, the government has also amended, revised and updated older legislation on the protection of children.

The Women's Empowerment and Child Protection Ministry has also specifically prepared for this year's National Children's Day with an event called the National Children's Forum. The ministry has been working on setting up this forum since 2005 as a place where children under the age of 18 can participate. The members are representatives from children's groups and together are guided by the government.

"The forum is a place to award and show appreciation for children from all corners of Indonesia who actively participate in their respective communities, especially when it comes to popularizing or advocating issues related to child participation and rights fulfillment," Yohana said.

Aside from this forum, the government has also sponsored a "Musical Discussion to Stop Violence Against Children", which saw it working together with a symphony band and 5,000 children from five provinces.

The goal of this event, in line with this year's National Children's Day theme, is to inform and educate the public on common issues in Indonesia relating to violence against children and similar issues such as child marriages and child exploitation.

Adding to National Children's Day 2016 was the picking of West Nusa Tenggara as the province for hosting this year's celebrations. The government specifically wanted to pick a region far away from the center so that all children across the country can join in the celebrations of National Children's Day.

"The province of West Nusa Tenggara was chosen because child marriage numbers in that province is high. That is why, together with 26 regencies and cities, we conducted a declaration to prevent the marriage of children," Yohana said.

The hope with all of these programs and events is that children, as the nation's assets, are protected. Yohana expressed hopes that children in Indonesia can enjoy the right to grow and develop while being protected from all forms of violence, exploitation and discrimination.

"They have to be prepared from a young age to become human resources with strong character and who are masters of science and technology. They must be able to compete and become agents of change in the future," Yohana said.

{

Your Opinion Matters

Share your experiences, suggestions, and any issues you've encountered on The Jakarta Post. We're here to listen.

Enter at least 30 characters
0 / 30

Thank You

Thank you for sharing your thoughts. We appreciate your feedback.