'Alang-alang' children scrape by on the docks<\/p>\n
BATANG, Central Java (JP): The fish auction center at Batang
\nPort swarms every morning with brokers and, during holidays, with
\nwomen customers looking for bargains.<\/p>\n
Hardly noticed among the throng are groups of boys, nearly all
\nof them under the age of 12, who have made the dock their second
\nhome. Carrying black plastic bags, they keep an eye out for the
\nboats mooring at the dock about 50 meters from the auction
\ncenter.<\/p>\n
They are part of the port scenery and are known as bocah
\nalang-alang, a term which means the kids who look for fish that
\nfall to the ground when the fishermen pack their catch in plastic
\ncrates ready to be carried to the center.<\/p>\n
The kids run after the fishermen who are lugging around full
\ncrates, hoping to pick up some fish which, if they are lucky,
\ndrops to the ground. If they are more desperate, they may even
\ntry to grab fish from the crates. Sometimes, they have to
\nstruggle among themselves for the fish and fights are
\ncommonplace.<\/p>\n
Those caught taking fish from the crates are driven away with
\nhand gestures but not scolded or beaten. Seconds later, sure
\nenough, they return. It happens over-and-over again, like a
\nchoreographed routine.<\/p>\n
Some of the hired fishermen collude with the children by
\npurposely dropping the fish that will fetch high prices at
\nmarket. After collecting sizable quantities, it is sold and the
\nprofit shared equally.<\/p>\n
Small-scale brokers, mostly old women, usually buy the fish
\nfor sale in surrounding towns.<\/p>\n
The boys come from several nearby villages like Seturi
\n(Karangasem) and Klidang (Klidang Lor). They are generally
\nfishermen's children and school dropouts who need to make money
\nto support themselves and their families.<\/p>\n
Every day, from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m., they can make from Rp 5,000
\nto Rp 10,000, a tidy sum and too tempting for them to resist
\navoiding a day in the classroom. But some of them claim they
\nstill go to school.<\/p>\n
Nardi, 12, said he was in sixth grade at elementary school and
\nonly visited the port during school vacations and holidays.<\/p>\n
\"I never play hooky, my dad would be mad at me,\" asserted the
\nboy from Seturi.<\/p>\n
He said his father also warned him against stealing any of the
\nfish and only to take what falls out of the buckets. He earns
\nfrom Rp 6,000 to Rp 8,000 daily which he said went toward school
\nexpenses.<\/p>\n
\"I do it just to continue my studies and help relieve my dad
\nof his financial responsibilities,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Another of the boys, Agus of Klidang, said he did not think
\nabout the ethics of right and wrong in what he was doing to eke
\nout a living.<\/p>\n
Small and dark skinned, the boy said, \"I've got to snatch fish
\nfrom fisherman or middlemen if none is dropped. I have to be
\ncareful that they're not paying attention though.\"<\/p>\n
Agus' father is a fisherman and he only sees him about twice a
\nmonth, a common problem for fishing families, in which the
\nchildren are often neglected and have to live in harsh
\nconditions.<\/p>\n
Most of the young here only speak coarse Javanese, unable to
\nconverse in the more refined language which would help them in
\ngetting ahead in life. They appear restless and excitable, given
\nto sudden fits of emotion in their tough daily lives.<\/p>\n
But most of them will go on to become fishermen like their
\nfathers, believing that it's better to make a great deal in one
\nprofitable catch than working at other menial jobs with erratic
\nearnings.<\/p>\n
It has been a cycle of toil and trouble for many generations,
\nwith children forgoing school and being destined to live the hard
\nlives of their parents. It's time to educate residents of fishing
\nvillages about the importance of education for their children.<\/p>\n
Of course, this measure will only work if there are schools
\nwhere the kids can study. The local administration needs to build
\nelementary schools near the fish center so there will be no
\nproblems about transportation to the sites. In this way, the
\nlocal children and their parents will know there is more to life
\nthan scraping by. (Ahmad Solikhan)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/alang-alang-children-scrape-by-on-the-docks-1447893297",
"image": ""
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