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Pandemic response should be child-friendly: Save the Children
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A health worker checks the health condition of a child during a vaccination drive in Denpasar, Bali on July 2, 2021. The Health Ministry has allowed children between 12 and 17 years old to participate in the COVID-19 vaccination drive starting July 1. (Antara/Nyoman Hendra Wibowo)
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n the second year of the pandemic, efforts to fulfill children’s rights must be a priority and the government response must be child-friendly, nongovernmental child organization Save the Children's Indonesia office said, as the country celebrates National Children’s Day on Friday.
According to the government's tally, 12.8 percent of COVID-19 cases were children aged 0-18, over 700 of whom have died. The highest number of deaths was in the 0-2 age group, followed by the 16-18 age group and the 3-6 age group.
Jakarta, West Java, East Java, Central Java and Yogyakarta -- all located on Indonesia’s most populated island of Java -- recorded the highest number of children catching the coronavirus.
"With the number of positive cases continuing to grow, including among children, this is a warning to all parties that we need to put the fulfillment of children's rights as a top priority [...],” Save the Children Indonesia CEO Selina Patta Sumbung said in a statement.
“[Not only] because children are the future but they are also the group most at risk and most affected by this pandemic.”
Read also: COVID-19 rising among Indonesian children
According to Save The Children's global survey last year, conducted in 46 countries, including Indonesia, children suffered many hidden and direct impacts of the pandemic, including more domestic violence and three times higher risk of violence than before the pandemic.
