Children of the street<\/p>\n
The event may be a bit unusual. But considering the figures on
\nhand, the significance of the four-day Week of Awareness Towards
\nStreet Children, which includes films, displays and discussions,
\nshould become immediately apparent.<\/p>\n
According to the statistics made public by Jakarta's Deputy
\nGovernor for Social Welfare, H. Museno, during the event which is
\nto close tomorrow at the Taman Ismail Marzuki art center on Jl.
\nCikini, Jakarta has at least 30,000 street children and other
\nneglected youngsters who are in need of help. Among the
\nimperatives of their lives is giving them a better education.<\/p>\n
While 30,000 may seem trivial in comparison to the 100 million
\nchildren who are estimated to work and live in urban streets
\naround the world, that figure is certain to swell to many times
\nthat size when the whole country is taken into consideration.<\/p>\n
Furthermore, unofficial estimates put the figure much higher
\nand given the size of Jakarta's population one may be forgiven
\nfor assuming that 30,000 is a highly over-optimistic estimate.<\/p>\n
Consider also the fact that by its own admission the Jakarta
\ncity administration can provide only Rp 40,000 -- or the
\nequivalent of a very meager US$18.40 -- per child per year, for
\nonly about 2,000 children. Again, the Jakarta municipality has no
\npolicy concept for "street children", because these youngsters
\nare not considered "neglected children", a category which does
\nreceive some assistance.<\/p>\n
We know that a number of organizations, both in government and
\noutside, are doing their best to alleviate the situation. One of
\nthem is the Foundation for the Welfare of Indonesian Children
\n(YKAI), a non-governmental organization whose chairperson is the
\nhead of the organizing committee of the current festival at the
\nart center.<\/p>\n
We do hope, though, that more can be done, and without delay,
\nto improve the situation. One does not have to see movies or read
\nnewspaper stories about street children in such cities as
\nMedellin, in Colombia, to realize the potential dangers of
\nleaving the situation untended and allowing the numbers of street
\nchildren to grow unchecked.<\/p>\n
It certainly is gratifying that a growing number of
\nindividuals and organizations appear to be ready to extend a
\nhelping hand. However, it seems to us that, proportionately
\nspeaking, too much attention has been concentrated on helping the
\nstreet children themselves.<\/p>\n
Surely the growing presence of street children in our midst is
\nthe product of other social ills that can be remedied. It is for
\nthis reason that we truly appreciate the efforts that are being
\nmade by the organizers of the Week of Awareness Towards Street
\nChildren.<\/p>\n
Only by cultivating greater awareness of the plight of those
\nchildren among the public can we hope to eventually expand the
\navailable resources and reach for the roots of the problem. By
\nhelping to improve the public's knowledge of the problem, the
\norganizers of the awareness week at TIM have at least contributed
\na share to the efforts.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/children-of-the-street-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}