In response to an article published in The Jakarta Post, a reader ask the question whether there is an organization doing something to take care of young people vulnerable to exploitation in the workforce/sex trade and how people like him, who are in a position to contribute substantially, can help.

We are an Australian couple traveling through Indonesia by car on our way to Europe from Australia and we share the reader's concerns. While in Bali, we encountered an amazing group that might suit your aims: Yayasan Kanaivasu (Blessings for Children) is an Indonesian non-profit, non-governmental humanitarian organization that is dedicated to mental health and child protection issues.

It was founded in Denpasar, Bali on Feb. 3, 2005 with the objective of providing humanitarian services for victims of both natural and man-made disasters and preventing domestic and other forms of violence. To date, the Kanaivasu Foundation has worked in Aceh, Bali and Lombok, and is supported by a professional team of psychiatrists and experienced, well-trained field staff and mental health counselors.

Kanaivasu is currently working on a child protection program that includes rehabilitative mental health counseling and psychosocial activities (such as art therapy) for exploited children, mental health training and services related to pedophilia and violence towards children, public awareness and socialization campaigns and research.

It is true that more and more tragic cases of pedophilia, child rape, child trafficking and other violence towards children are emerging in Indonesia, in particular in Bali and Lombok. The address is at Jl. Cokroaminoto Gg. Garuda 59B Denpasar, Bali 80235, Indonesia.

Liesbeth Goedhart and Micko O'Byme

Denpasar

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