Irwanto helps out young addicts<\/p>\n
M. Taufiqurrahman, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Irwanto has dedicated the last 20 years of his life to helping
\nchildren, but characteristic of the 46-year-old activist is he
\nhas never sought to win publicity for his good work.<\/p>\n
The activist works to reduce juvenile delinquency and crime,
\nwhich has become a major social problem, particularly in large
\ncities.<\/p>\n
"I like hanging out with children .... When I see them, I see
\nthe bright face of the future," says Irwanto, who heads a harm
\nreduction center for drug addicts run by Atma Jaya University.<\/p>\n
Irwanto, whose given name is Tjia Wie Kiong, was born in
\nPurwodadi, Central Java, to a Javanese mother and Chinese-
\nIndonesian father. He says that since his youth he has had an
\nattachment to children.<\/p>\n
"As the son of a Chinese-Indonesian father, I was
\ndiscriminated against and treated unfairly. I felt alienated from
\nsociety.<\/p>\n
"I see similar treatment toward children with drug problems.
\nThey are virtual outcasts."<\/p>\n
Neither is Irwanto himself a stranger to drugs, with which he
\nbecame acquainted while in college. So looking back, Irwanto says
\nhis work now is a little bit like an attempt to make up for his
\npast.<\/p>\n
Focusing on containing the spread of the Human
\nImmunodeficiency Virus (HIV) among drug addicts, the harm
\nreduction center provides primary health care programs, peer
\neducation, community outreach, counseling and HIV testing, as
\nwell as sterile needles.<\/p>\n
The harm reduction approach involves a range of measures and
\nstrategies focused on reducing the adverse health consequences
\ncaused by drug abuse, particularly intravenous drugs.<\/p>\n
Every day, about 100 teenagers visit Irwanto's office in
\nCideng, Central Jakarta, to get a health checkup or an HIV test,
\nshare their experiences with peers or just to hang out.<\/p>\n
Despite the fact that 76 percent of the children under the
\ncenter's supervision are HIV-positive, the center cannot provide
\ntreatment due to financial constraints.<\/p>\n
The center is only one of Irwanto's many activities related to
\nchild advocacy. He also runs an educational program to promote
\npeace among children in conflict regions like Poso in Central
\nSulawesi and Halmahera in North Maluku. Under the auspices of the
\nInternational Labor Organization, Irwanto also campaigns for the
\neradication of the worst forms of child labor.<\/p>\n
"Research I did during my university years showed me the facts
\nabout the plight of poor children. My first observations occurred
\nwhen I was doing research on street children in River Code,
\nYogyakarta."<\/p>\n
After graduating from the School of Psychology at Gadjah Mada
\nUniversity in Yogyakarta, Irwanto resisted the temptation to take
\na job as a consultant for a major company, instead going to
\nJakarta and eventually working as a researcher at Atma Jaya
\nUniversity.<\/p>\n
It was during his stint at the university that he got his
\nfirst chance to help children with drug problems professionally.
\nHe joined Bersama, a foundation chaired by the late Tien
\nSoeharto, wife of then president Soeharto. The foundation
\nprovided counseling for young drug addicts.<\/p>\n
The social work at the foundation went hand in hand with his
\nday job as social researcher.<\/p>\n
He took his affinity for social research a step further by
\npursuing a graduate degree in the Department of Family Studies
\nand Child Development at Purdue University in the U.S. He went on
\nto obtain his PhD from the same university, with the support of a
\nFulbright scholarship.<\/p>\n
"The data shows that almost all social problems could be
\nanticipated if more resources were dedicated to solving problems
\nafflicting children. The aim is to reduce costs in the future;
\nmore investment should be made in children's early years," he
\ntold The Jakarta Post.<\/p>\n
Irwanto's research on patients at a state-run mental
\ninstitution in Magelang, Central Java, led him to conclude that
\nsome symptoms of mental disorders such as paranoia and
\nschizophrenia could be eliminated during the early childhood
\nyears.<\/p>\n
The same is true for poverty. "Children may come from poor
\nfamilies, but it does not mean that they should live in
\ndestitution. Children are entitled to have the same opportunity
\nto live good lives."<\/p>\n
"But let me tell you that what I am doing now is not 'saving
\nour youth', as that aim is too big. I just love doing this."<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/irwanto-helps-out-young-addicts-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}