Parents, fostered children must be same religion<\/p>\n
Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The House of Representatives delayed on Thursday the endorsement
\nof the Child Protection bill because it needs more time to
\naccommodate criticisms and opinions submitted by a number of
\ndifferent groups.<\/p>\n
A team assigned to deliberate the bill will continue its
\ndiscussions at the next session of the House, scheduled to take
\nplace from Aug. 16 to Sept. 27.<\/p>\n
A member of the team, legislator Ida Fauziah, confirmed the
\ndelay was the result of a protest by the Indonesian Ulemas
\nCouncil (MUI).<\/p>\n
Ida, who is from the National Awakening Party (PKB), said MUI
\nofficials urged the legislators to revise Article 37, Paragraph
\n3, of the bill, which stipulates that adopted parents \"should be
\nof the same religion as the adopted child\".<\/p>\n
The MUI objected to the phrase \"should be\", which it said was
\nnot recognized by legal principles.<\/p>\n
\"That terminology is up to interpretation. The word 'must' is
\nmuch clearer than 'should be,'\" MUI chairman Amidhan told The
\nJakarta Post on Thursday.<\/p>\n
Amidhan emphasized that if the Child Protection bill was
\nwritten in language that was not clear, it could result in
\nchildren losing their religions.<\/p>\n
He added that the use of \"should be\" was also inconsistent
\nwith the language in other articles.<\/p>\n
Article 31, Paragraph 4, for example, states that individuals
\nthat adopt a child must be of the same faith as the child.<\/p>\n
Article 33, Paragraph 3, stipulates that a guardian appointed
\nby the courts must be of the same religion as the child.<\/p>\n
Amidhan, who was recently appointed by the House to the
\nNational Commission on Human Rights, said the law should prevent
\nparents from adopting children of a different faith.<\/p>\n
\"If there is no protection under the law, foster children will
\nbe helpless to maintain their religion,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Amidhan appreciated the legislators for giving serious
\nattention to the inputs from MUI.<\/p>\n
The legislators had earlier defended the disputed article,
\nsaying it gave room to donors of the National Movement of Foster
\nParents, founded by a daughter-in-law of former president
\nSoeharto, to continue their work without fear of mandatory
\nreligious conversion.<\/p>\n
But Amidhan told the legislators to differentiate between
\ndonation, guardianship and fostering.<\/p>\n
\"If it is about donations, there is no need for donors to be
\nof the same faith as those receiving the donations,\" Amidhan
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Besides the MUI, a number of other groups have also criticized
\nthe bill. These critics say the bill drafted by the legislators
\nlacks details, contains vague articles and fails to recognize a
\nwatchdog committee.<\/p>\n
Bambang Budi Setiawan of the Indonesian Child Welfare
\nFoundation and Aris Merdeka Sirait of the National Committee for
\nthe Protection of Children, said that in the late 1990s some NGOs
\nsubmitted draft bills on child protection that were much more
\ncomprehensive, feasible and reliable than the current bill.<\/p>\n
\"We create laws for the people. If the people reject a law, it
\nwould be better for the House to respond in a positive manner,\"
\nIda told the Post on Thursday.<\/p>\n
Indonesia ratified the UN Convention on Child Protection in
\n1990. But it was only in 2001 that legislators began deliberating
\nthe Child Protection bill.<\/p>\n
Some of the rights of children:<\/p>\n
- To live a normal life<\/p>\n
- To be protected against all forms of violence and
\ndiscrimination, exploitation, legal action and prosecution<\/p>\n
- To develop their identities and receive citizenship<\/p>\n
- To enjoy religious freedom according to their beliefs, and
\nfreedom of expression under their parents' guidance<\/p>\n
- To be informed of the identity of their biological parents in
\nthe case of adopted children<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/parents-fostered-children-must-be-same-religion-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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