T

he number of acts of violence against children, particularly cases of sexual assault, in North Sumatra has increased by 55 percent as compared to last year, reports the Indonesian Pusaka Foundation (YPI).

In the first half of 2012, the figure escalated to 143, while in the previous year it stood at 80, said Mitra Lubis, YPI staffer for women and children’s affairs.

Among the figures, 81 children have been sexually abused and 24 others have suffered other forms of violence. The victims, she continued, are mostly students, aged between 13 and 18.

Mitra said that the assaults occurred in all parts of the province with Medan having the most cases, followed by Deli Serdang and Serdang Bedagai.

“There are 50 children, who have been abused in the last six months in Medan, while there are 23 victims in Deli Serdang and 15 others in Serdang Bedagai,” said Mitra.

“This reports pretty much show that Medan, which is the capital city of North Sumatra, has yet to learn be kind and safe for children,” she added.

The main problem is that the guilty parties have not been brought to justice, Mitra went on.

Mitra took the example of a case of sexual assault in Tebing Tinggi that involved a girl named Icha, 14, who was reportedly abused by her boyfriend.

She also mentioned a case, which was involving police officers, who have conducted violence against three children in Medan.

As of today, Mitra said, the cases have yet to be brought to the court.

“We urge the police to solve all cases of violence against children and punish the perpetrators,” she said.

Child expert Edy Ikhsan, who is also an attorney, said the acts of violence against children which had happened lately were just the tip of a much bigger iceberg that might lead into more serious problems for the country in the
upcoming years.

“We predict that the number of cases of violence against children will increase in the future as they are linked to poverty and environmental factors. Another thing is there is no control on the freedom of use of electronic media,”
explained Edy.

In a bid to tackle this problem, he said, the government must make a strong commitment to protect children as stipulated in the Law on Child Protection and the Convention of the Rights of the Child.

“Children of the nation should be protected from any forms of violence. If we do nothing about this, I am afraid that this country will lose its next generation,” Edy said.