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unicipal and regency administrations in Indonesia need bylaws that are supportive of child rights and the creation of child-friendly cities in the country, an official said over the weekend.

“Based on a study we have been conducting since 2006, many of the administrations only have decrees [not bylaws],” State Ministry of Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection deputy assistant Lenny N. Rosalin said.

Speaking at a three-day conference on a more child-friendly Asia-Pacific held in Surakarta, Central Java, Lenny said that regent and mayoral decrees did not sustainably guarantee the fulfillment of child rights by the respective administrations as stipulated in the convention on child rights.

“When any regency head who issues the decree is no longer in power, the regency commitment on fulfilling child rights will also be different,” she told the forum, which officially closed on Saturday.

Indonesia has since 2006 been developing child friendly cities after ratifying the World Fit for Children declaration. So far there are 75 cities that have been preparing to become child-friendly cities across the archipelago.

There are a number of indicators that a child-friendly city must fulfill. Among others are supporting bylaws, financial support, forums for child participation, understanding of child rights among officials in charge of providing services, age-based data and a consultancy unit for both children and the elderly.

“Indonesia has a huge amount of homework to complete for the creation of child-friendly cities,” Lenny said, adding that presently only some 50 percent of Indonesian children had birth certificates, while at the same time underage marriage rates remained high. “These two problems must be dealt with thoroughly if Indonesia wants to have child-friendly cities,” Lenny said.

Chairperson of the Child Friendly Asia-Pacific regional network, Australian Karen Malone, said that one of the important points that the three-day conference had concluded was agreement on the importance of involving children in the creation of child-friendly cities.

“We should not only listen to children, but must also take their opinions seriously,” she said.

She added that all developing countries, including Indonesia, were facing major challenges in creating child-friendly cities. The program, she said, actually did not need huge funds, but instead commitment and willingness to develop community care for child rights.

The conference resulted in the drafting of the 2011 Solo City Declaration of Children’s Participation for a Child Friendly Asia-Pacific. All delegates from the 19 participating countries and 90 cities from across Indonesia will be given a week to provide inputs for the final draft of the declaration.