I

ndonesia'€™s wish to banish every person who does a heavy criminal act is stepping too far as it would not only be for adults, but also for underage citizens.

Yusman Telaumbanua was sentenced to death by the Gunungsitoli District, North Sumatra Court in 2013 for the premeditated murder of three local gecko sellers in 2012. He was only 16 years old when he was declared guilty of murder. Currently he is 26 years old.

Indonesia has ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), which prohibited capital punishment for the underaged. It is regrettable that such a punishment still occurs in Indonesia.

UNCRC article 37(a) clearly states, '€œNo child shall be subjected to torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. Neither capital punishment nor life imprisonment without possibility of release shall be imposed for offences committed by persons below 18 years of age.'€ A similar ruling was stipulated in Indonesian Law No. 11/2012.

Punishing children with capital punishment or life imprisonment is counterproductive. It just creates other serious problems such as decreasing child self-esteem and increasing the bad labeling of them and denies them their opportunity to fulfill their rights thoroughly.

As long as we see children as a hope to create a better future for a nation, we must invest as much as we can on them instead of doing something that limits their optimal growth. We never know, if we give them a second chance, they might make great contributions for their countries.

We adults should not just think about how to punish children who have done something wrong, but we have to provide them with good environments so that they can develop their potentials.

Tumpal Sujadi
Bandung