'Children's rights must be upheld'<\/p>\n
Fabiola Desy Unidjaja and Debbie A. Lubis, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Both the government and the legislature lack the political will
\nto put forward children's interests, ignoring the importance of
\nupholding their rights in the country, an expert has said.<\/p>\n
Noted child psychologist Seto Mulyadi said on Tuesday that the
\ngovernment and the legislature had ignored children's rights by
\npostponing their endorsement of the child protection law.<\/p>\n
"We regret the decision to postpone the endorsement as it will
\nalso delay the improvement of child protection in the country,"
\nSeto said.<\/p>\n
He charged that the lack of political will was obvious, with
\nmany child problems -- from prostitution, child laborers and
\nstreet children -- having yet to be solved.<\/p>\n
The House of Representatives, without adequate explanation,
\nhas postponed its endorsement of the bill. However, when the
\nHouse went into recess last week, the bill had still to be
\nsubmitted to the plenary session as one article had yet to be
\nagreed upon.<\/p>\n
Separately, child activists said policy makers, the public,
\nparents, teachers and the media should reflect on what they had
\ndone and had not yet done for children, instead of being carried
\naway by an insincere celebration of National Children's Day
\nmarked by parties or carnivals.<\/p>\n
National Program Coordinator of the International Program on
\nthe Elimination of Child Labor (IPEC) Pandji Purtanto said the
\ngovernment ought to be more appreciative of children's needs.<\/p>\n
"Sometimes we forget that we treat our children
\ninconsistently. We attend to just one aspect of their needs but
\nfail to pay attention to their other needs," he told The Jakarta
\nPost.<\/p>\n
Pandji said the public also needed to evaluate the way it
\ntreated children. "I disagree when children are involved in a
\nrally at the House of Representatives against the postponement of
\nthe bill's endorsement. This is a new form of exploitation: We
\ncannot discuss the substance of the child protection bill with
\nthem," he said.<\/p>\n
Composer of children's songs AT Mahmud said parents and
\nteachers were required to allow children to develop so they could
\nrealize their social and academic potential.<\/p>\n
"God has given us a brain, conscience and feelings. Children
\nshould excel, not only in math or physics, but also in their
\nrelationships with others so there will be no student brawls," he
\nsaid on the sidelines of a seminar on children.<\/p>\n
Mahmud said parents and teachers had to develop children's
\nimagination, emotions, and their social skills because the
\nchildren had the right to reach their full potential. However, he
\nvoiced regret over parents who forced children to study all the
\ntime, without giving them enough time to play.<\/p>\n
Another speaker in the seminar, head of the University of
\nIndonesia School of Communication Ade Armando, said the media, in
\nthis case TV stations, should also reflect upon what programs
\nthey offered for children.<\/p>\n
"TV stations are responsible for not having a bad influence on
\nchildren. They should carefully select what they screen during
\nfamily hours (before 9 p.m.) as children, by their very nature,
\nare quite impressionable," he said.<\/p>\n
Ade urged the government to create a legal framework to guide
\nTV stations in their programming as there was only a slim chance
\nthat they would regulate themselves.<\/p>\n
At the National Children's Day celebration at the Indonesia in
\nMiniature Park (TMII) in East Jakarta, President Megawati
\nSoekarnoputri shared a light moment with hundreds of children
\nfrom different schools, who were aged from four to 11.<\/p>\n
Megawati told the children to love the country, be self-
\nconfident, make friends and respect their parents, study hard and
\nstay away from drugs.<\/p>\n
"You should reach for the stars for your ideas and
\nachievements," the President said.<\/p>\n
As she departed, the children waved and cheered her.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/childrens-rights-must-be-upheld-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }