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n the side of a busy leafy street in Bendungan Hilir, Central Jakarta, a boy rode his push-bike Thursday, amid speeding motorcycles, loud bemo (three-wheeled minivans), public minivans and private cars.

With a lack of playgrounds in the capital, it is common to see children take the risk of playing on the street while vehicles whiz by. For children with protective parents, their choices are limited to playing at home, and for those who can afford it, the occasional costly playground at the mall.

The lack of playgrounds in Jakarta has robbed children of their right to safe play areas, as families need to reach into their wallets for their children to be able to enjoy privately run playgrounds, excluding children from low-income families, a children's rights activist says.

Chairman of the Commission for Child Protection (KPAI), Seto Mulyadi, said Thursday the city had an extreme lack of playgrounds.

"That's why malls and Internet cafes are full of children, but they also like to play on the streets, such as playing ball and flying kites," Seto said.

Jakarta's open green areas make up only 9.8 percent of its total area. From this figure, the space for children's playgrounds is even smaller. However, city planning regulations state that a city must have 30 percent of green open spaces.

Identifying the demand for children's playgrounds, businesses offering spaces for children to play in, have sprung up.

An indoor theme-park for children called Kidzania in Pacific Place Mall opened in 2007. A ticket to play in Kidzania costs Rp 130,000 (US$ 13.7) on weekdays and Rp 155,000 on weekends for children aged between 4 and 16 years old.

There is also an outdoor playground in Kemang that costs more than Rp 65,000.

Playgrounds as businesses, which are enjoyed only by the privileged, reflect the government's failure to provide facilities for children, and ultimately universal children's rights, Seto said.

"Children's rights are not fulfilled when they lack facilities to play in. The government is supposed to provide those facilities," he said.

He said that spaces for children to play in were central to their development. "Playgrounds are important because children learn through playing," he added.

The lack of playing ground issue marks the global celebration of the 20th Children's Day on Nov. 20. In 1959 the United Nations adopted the Declaration of the Rights of the Child and in 1989, the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Working mother Isthisari Bulan Lageni, 27, said due to the lack of parks and places to play with other children, she had enrolled her 2-year-old child in a playgroup.

"This way my child can interact socially with her peers and play games that train her motor and sensory skills," she said.

Isthisari said that on weekends she would take her child to a mall, swimming, or to the Safari Park in Bogor, south of Jakarta.

"I think Jakarta lacks places for children to play.