Child abuse ‘not poverty problem’
Desy Nurhayati, The Jakarta Post, Denpasar | Wed, 12/14/2011 8:16 AM
Poverty is not the only root cause of child abuse and neglect cases in Indonesia, an advocate for child rights says.
Child abuse and neglect cases are not limited only to poor and uneducated families, but also occur in well-off families, said Seto Mul-yadi of the National Commission on Child Protection.
“It’s not only about poverty and lack of education. The problem is there is a wrong mind-set. Many parents believe in the old paradigm that using violence is an effective way to educate and discipline a child,” Seto said on the sidelines of the Asia Pacific Conference on Child Welfare on Tuesday. “They don’t think that violence has impacts on the child in the long run.”
He said that child abuse cases in Indonesia had increased by around 40 to 50 percent per year over the last few years. Last year, the number of reported cases reached 2,300. This year, however, there were 2,000 cases reported in the first six months of the year.
“There are two possible explanations [for the increase]: First, the number of cases is indeed increasing, and second, the people have become more aware of [the possibility] of reporting cases.”
Campaigns and movements against child abuse have increased awareness and encouraged people to report cases to the authorities, or expose the cases to the media, he said.
More campaigning and action are needed to “cut the chain of violence”, so that parents no longer use violence to educate their children, Seto said.
There are an estimated 4.6 million neglected children in Indonesia, including street children and those who do not have access to welfare or education.
Makmur Sunusi, director general of social rehabilitation at the Social Services Ministry, said the government needed support from various stakeholders, including the UN and NGOs to improve welfare for children.
“Through this conference, we expect more capacity building, transfer of knowledge, and vision sharing on strategies to improve child welfare, including by empowering families and communities,” he said.
