F

ifty children with various physical disabilities had a rare opportunity Tuesday to meet with members of the Bali branch of the Indonesian Commission for the Protection of Children (KPAI) to share their needs and feelings.

Ida Okta Pranita Devi suddenly burst into tears when asked about her family.

The 12-year-old girl with a hearing disability said she loved living in her house surrounded by her loving parents, brothers and sisters.

But because of her hearing disability, she had to live in a boarding school with other disabled children.

"I always feel so lonely there, although I have a lot of friends," Devi said.

"My parents only visit me once a week."

Putu Ari Ariastuti, a blind girl enrolled at the SLBA Gianyar special school for the blind, shared similar feelings of despair.

"Devi is luckier than me; My parents only visit me once a month," she said.

"I just can't say no, because they always tell me to stay at the boarding school if I want to be a clever girl."

The dialogue between the KPAI and the disabled students from across Denpasar, Gianyar and Tabanan regencies was held to commemorate National Children's Day, which will fall on Friday, July 23.

Ayu Sri Wahyuni, KPAI Bali chairwoman, said children with disabilities had a right to refuse any parental actions that went against their welfare.

Many parents with physically or mentally disabled children send them to boarding schools across Bali for various reasons.

"Some of them are ashamed to face the social burdens, while others face difficulties in providing special education for their children," she said.

Made Gintil Muliarta, headmaster of the SLB C school for children with hearing disabilities, said many parents had enrolled their children, suffering from Down syndrome and autism, at his school.

"We have neither the capability nor the space to accommodate children with Down syndrome and autism," he said.

"We've had to refuse those children because we have a limited facility with three boarding rooms filled with 25 children.

"The boarding school is so crowded."

There are 230 children enrolled at the school, including the 25 children in the boarding rooms.

"We need more teachers to handle the children," Muliarta said.

"Each teacher now deals with 15 children. Ideally, one teacher should be responsible for only five children."

Lack of financial support and skilled educators and assistance have hampered the education for such children.

"Children with special needs require more physical and emotional attention from parents, educators and the community," Wahyuni said, adding they also needed teachers with particular skills and knowledge to educate them and provide life skills.

The government's campaign to provide free access to education is still far from ideal at these schools, she went on, with many schools struggling to get by.

Parents also fail to send their children to such schools because of financial constraints.

KPAI Bali deputy chairwoman Luh Anggraeni said disabled children needed protection from adults, because they were very vulnerable to physical and emotional abuse, including sexual abuse.

"We've received numerous cases of abuse involving disabled children," she said.

The child protection law punishes those who abuse minors and disabled children.

"But only a few adults understand and recognize the law," Anggraeni said.