Abdul Rohim bin Ali, 13, has charming physical features with his dark-skin and wide endearing grin. But that afternoon his reason for smiling rang an ironic tone as he was one of 10 children facing trial for gambling charges.
The children, who add to their families' incomes by shining shoes at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport after school, were apprehended by airport police on May 31 during an operation to rid the airport of illegal trades.
The arrest has caused Abdul stress and grief, and flushed one year of his primary education down the drain.
"Now this one here is unlucky," he said pointing to his friend, Sarifudin bin Basar, 11, who was arrested with him. "He never went to the airport before, but that day I asked him to join me in my daily shoe-shining job. Who would've guessed he wouldn't go home for a month!"
The 10 children were still being detained at Tangerang penitentiary before the district prosecutor finally let them go on June 27.
However, to some extent the damage had already been done. The boys, who were caught by police while playing heads-or-tails in between shining shoes, had faced rough treatment and missed their final primary school exams, costing them one year of school.
"The police shoved us around. They told us to lie facing the sun in the middle of the day, and talked to us harshly," said Irfan, one of the boys.
They were later sent to the Tangerang Police headquarters before being sent to the penitentiary, where they were detained alongside those detained on more serious charges such as drug offenses and theft.
But the worst is not over yet. The boys must still stand trial to determine their fate.
National Commission for Child Protection secretary-general Arist Merdeka Sirait said if found guilty the children could face up to three years in prison.
"They have been charged with article 303 of the criminal law regarding gambling, which is outrageous, since they are only kids and they were only fooling around," he said.
Arist and the children's lawyers will try to get the judge to settle the case in one day, to make things easier for the boys.
"They should be freed of all charges," Arist said. "A prison record would put their futures in jeopardy."
Acquitting the children were also recommended because their arrest had been dubious from the outset.
"The police couldn't find the coin they had allegedly used in the game, so they just took coins from the boys' to use as evidence," Arist said.
The unnecessarily long period the children had spent behind bars was another flaw in the case, he said.
"They should not have been held all that time without legal guardians or parental accompaniment.
"At most they should only have been detained for one day. The police should also have notified their parents and settled the matter in a more appropriate way for minor offenders," Arist said.
The children's parents were not notified of the arrest and only found out through word of mouth from those who witnessed it, he said. (dis)
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