Child Commission to visit Aceh victims<\/p>\n
Sari P. Setiogi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
As part of the campaign to protect children in conflict areas,
\nthe National Commission for Child Protection (Komnas Anak) will
\ncelebrate the National Children's Day, which falls on July 23, in
\nAceh.<\/p>\n
Komnas Anak chairman Seto Mulyadi, better known as Kak
\n(brother) Seto, said that the commission's representatives would
\nmeet war victims in the troubled territory.<\/p>\n
\"Most children in Aceh are now under pressure and stress,\" he
\ntold The Jakarta Post on Thursday, \"What they really need right
\nnow is a peaceful, comforting and loving psychological
\nenvironment.\"<\/p>\n
To fill the need, Komnas Anak will establish a number of
\nshelters for child war victims in Aceh as rehabilitation centers.<\/p>\n
\"They deserve a life that's beautiful, one in which they can
\nplay and study peacefully and cheerfully,\" said Kak Seto, a
\nprominent educator.<\/p>\n
For that purpose, the commission will cooperate with the State
\nMinistry of Women's Empowerment, the Office of the Coordinating
\nMinister for People's Welfare, as well as with several private
\ncorporations.<\/p>\n
There are about 1.3 million children under 18 in Aceh, who
\nhave been trapped in the middle of the war.<\/p>\n
Many of them have been directly impacted by the ongoing
\nviolence and upheaval, in which tens of thousands have been
\nforced out of their homes and put in squalid camps and watched
\nover by heavily armed troops.<\/p>\n
\"The words 'direct impact' there could mean a lot. Either they
\nare involved directly in the operations, or they must be
\nevacuated with or without their families,\" said Achmad Marzuki,
\nalso of Komnas Anak.<\/p>\n
Children's imaginations are built through their daily lives.
\nIn a war, Marzuki said, they witness violence, clashes, people
\ngetting killed and chaos, every day, which might cause them to
\nsuffer permanent psychological damage.<\/p>\n
Seto asked the military to be more aware of the psychological
\nimpact that war has on children.<\/p>\n
\"If they (the children) suddenly run away or refuse to look
\nsomeone in the face, that does not mean that they are separatist
\nsympathizers,\" he said. \"Such reactions would more likely be
\ncaused by the trauma they have experienced.\"<\/p>\n
Komnas Anak is now working with both child victims and
\nmilitary officers in Aceh, and is also lobbying top military
\nofficers in Jakarta to handle children in Aceh with extra care.<\/p>\n
Lt. Gen. (ret) Kiki Syahnakri, said the military was now
\ntrying to limit the number of civilian victims, including
\nchildren, in the Aceh war.<\/p>\n
\"However, we are talking about a cultural transformation
\nwithin the military and that is not easy to do in a short
\nperiod,\" the former deputy Army chief of staff said.<\/p>\n
Kiki asked professional organizations such as the National
\nCommission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) and Komnas Anak to assist
\nthe military with human rights and the handling of child victims.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/child-commission-to-visit-aceh-victims-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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