Controversial bill on juvenile court passed into law<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The House of Representatives passed into law
\nyesterday the bill on juvenile court after the government caved
\nin to legislators' earlier demands that it scrap four contentious
\narticles.<\/p>\n
The scrapped articles were on custody, adoption, neglected
\nchildren and the care of delinquents. Since it was submitted to
\nthe House by the government in October, the document has drawn
\nMoslem groups' ire because the four articles would have permitted
\nthe adoption of children by adults of different faiths.<\/p>\n
The four factions of the House -- the dominant Golkar, the
\nMoslem-based United Development Party (PPP), the Indonesian
\nDemocratic Party (PDI) and the Armed Forces (ABRI) -- joined the
\nMoslem chorus asking for the articles to be dropped.<\/p>\n
According to Minister of Justice Oetojo Oesman, the
\ngovernment decided to drop the articles during the Dec. 11
\ndeliberation of the document.<\/p>\n
President Soeharto will still have to sign and enact the law
\nand a number of directives need to be drafted before the law can
\ncome into effect.<\/p>\n
In the plenary House meeting yesterday, PPP spokesperson S.K.
\nEffendi praised the newly passed Law on Juvenile Court for making
\nit clear that the government should first consider the faith of
\nthe children before it sends them to institutions.<\/p>\n
\"The (recently added) phrase (in the document) that says
\n'consider the faith of the children' is very important because it
\nguarantees children the freedom to follow their own faith,\" he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
The ruling was needed so children would not have to be
\ncommitted to the care of social service institutions which follow
\na different faith, he said.<\/p>\n
Effendi called on the government to follow up the law by
\nintroducing the necessary infrastructure, including judges, legal
\ncounsels and separate correctional institutions for juvenile
\ndelinquents.<\/p>\n
Juniwati Masjchun Sofwan of Golkar called on the Ministry of
\nSocial Services to better meet its function, as stipulated in the
\njuvenile court law, of taking over the care of children under
\neight who commit crimes and whose parents cannot care for them.<\/p>\n
She called on the government to draw up another law to cover
\nthe issues raised in the four dropped articles.<\/p>\n
Nana Mulyana Sukanta of PDI said the Law on Juvenile Court
\nfilled the vacuum of regulations protecting children's interests.
\nHe reiterated his faction's hopes that the document would meet
\nthe goals it sets out to achieve: to protect, guide and educate
\nchildren.<\/p>\n
\"The PDI faction realizes the document has yet to
\ncomprehensively cover issues concerning children,\" he said,
\nadding there was still a gap to be filled in regard to the four
\ncontentious articles.<\/p>\n
He said the articles that needed further explanation in law
\nshould be regulated by lower-level government decrees.<\/p>\n
He also called for the establishment of supporting
\ninfrastructure for the juvenile court, as well as better
\ncoordination between government agencies in charge of children
\naffairs.<\/p>\n
Nana said the legislators had a tough time discussing the
\ndefinition of \"children\" but had finally agreed to define them as
\nunmarried persons between the ages of eight and 18.<\/p>\n
He discussed other issues in the newly passed law, including
\nthe ruling on jail terms for children who committed crimes. He
\nsaid the law gives clear definitions on court treatment of
\nchildren and does not include the death penalty or life sentences
\n\"even if they commit serious crimes which, if committed by
\nadults, are punishable by death\".<\/p>\n
The maximum penalty for children who commit crimes is 10
\nyears. (03)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/controversial-bill-on-juvenile-court-passed-into-law-1447893297",
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