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Children abused in Indonesian childcare institutions: Report
Many children are facing physical and psychological abuse in Indonesian childcare institutions, a study has found
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Many children are facing physical and psychological abuse in Indonesian childcare institutions, a study has found.
The study, jointly conducted by the Social Services Ministry, Save the Children and Unicef, concluded that many childcare institutions in Indonesia do not do enough for the welfare of their children.
"Many staffers in childcare institutions resort to violence to punish the children. They sometimes beat children who break rules," said Save the Children UK-Indonesia child protection specialist Tata Sudrajat.
The research also found many institutions subjected the children to forced labor to save money or generate revenue, and that children do not have enough time to play.
"Most of the childcare institutions have quite strict rules and regulations. They don't have any child protection policies to prevent violence against children," he said.
Tata was speaking at the launch of the research report, "Someone that Matters: The Quality of Care in Childcare Institutions in Indonesia".
Researchers surveyed 36 childcare institutions in six provinces -- Central Java, Maluku, Naggroe Aceh Darussalam, North Sulawesi, West Kalimantan and West Nusa Tenggara -- plus an orphanage owned by the Social Services Ministry.
There are an estimated 5,000 to 8,000 childcare institutions in Indonesia caring for up to 500,000 children -- including both orphans and children from families unable to meet the cost of raising them -- among the most in the world.
More than 99 percent of the institutions are run by the private sector, mostly by religious organizations.
Researchers found about 90 percent of the children still had one or both parents living and only 6 percent were actually orphans.
The majority of the children came from poor families and were sent to the institutions for food and education.
Save the Children country director Stephen Morrow said families should not simply place their children in childcare institutions if money was an issue.
"Children have the right to know and grow up within their families and they also have the right to education. They and their families should not be asked to choose between these two fundamental rights," Morrow said.
Tata said: "Childcare institutions should be ... last-resort care centers. If children have lost their parents, their extended family should support them."
He also urged the government to improve childcare institutions by establishing minimum standards.
"There's no minimum standard for a childcare institution, its quality of services and its staffers," he said.
Tata said Save the Children offered childcare training for staffers across the country, particularly to raise their awareness of children's education.
Social Service Minister Bachtiar Chamsyah said the government would heed some of the study's recommendations. "We will evaluate the services of the childcare institutions and set standards for them," he said. (trw)
