TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Popular Reads
Top Results
No results found. Please check your search term and try again
Can't find what you're looking for?
View all search results
Popular Reads
Top Results
No results found. Please check your search term and try again
Can't find what you're looking for?
View all search resultsChildren in pro-free meals rally sparks exploitation concerns
Change text size
Gift Premium Articles
to Anyone
Share the best of The Jakarta Post with friends, family, or colleagues. As a subscriber, you can gift 3 to 5 articles each month that anyone can read—no subscription needed!
Protesters from the Lampung Community Alliance hold posters during a rally on June 22, 2026 at Adipura Monument in Bandar Lampung, Lampung. The group expressed support for the continuation of the free nutritious meal program, saying it benefits children, pregnant and breastfeeding women, and older adults. (Antara/Ardiansyah)
T
he involvement of elementary school students in a rally supporting President Prabowo Subianto’s free nutritious meal program in Batam, Riau Islands, has prompted criticism from child protection advocates and education observers, who say the mobilization risks exploiting minors.
Hundreds of children were part of a rally outside Batam City Hall on Sunday, with widely circulated local news footage showing them carrying banners expressing support for the free meals program.
The Batam Education Agency had mobilized at least 100 schools to “voice aspirations” from principals, teachers and parents calling for the program’s continuation after at least 55 designated meal kitchens in the city halted operations on June 8 over unpaid operational funding.
Batam Education Agency head Hendri Arulan denied instructing schools to mobilize the students. However, some students said they attended after being directed by their schools.
“We were required by the school to take part in what they said was a fun walk or a sports activity,” Septia Saputri, an eighth grader at State Junior High School (SMPN) 20 Batam, said on Sunday.
Read also: Beneficiaries willing to forgo free meals to improve quality
Videos of children participating in the rally drew widespread criticism on social media, with many users arguing that minors should not be caught up in competing political interests, a concern echoed by the Indonesian Child Protection Commission (KPAI).
