Politicians to blame for children's poor lot<\/p>\n
Following last week's national conference on children, The
\nJakarta Post spoke with Yaumil Agoes Achir, a professor of
\npsychology at the University of Indonesia and deputy secretary
\nfor people's welfare to Vice President Megawati Soekarnoputri.<\/p>\n
Question: You raised concern about the situation of our
\ncountry's children during the recent national conference on
\nchildren. Why?<\/p>\n
Answer: As of today, 6.8 million children between the ages of
\n7 and 15 are out of school. The number of malnourished children
\nhas increased from 8 million (before the economic crisis) to 20
\nmillion, while the infant mortality rate doubled from 55 to 100
\nout of 1,000 live births.<\/p>\n
The official number of child workers in 1998 was 1.8 million,
\nbut it doubled after the crisis. The number of street children,
\ntoo, doubled because of the crisis. In 1998, some 6 million
\nchildren were classified as neglected children; this number also
\ndoubled...<\/p>\n
We have 2 million children between the ages of 10 and 14 with
\ndisabilities; only 71,000 of them are taken care of in various
\ncenters. The rest are left to fend for themselves.<\/p>\n
The Indonesian Children's Welfare Foundation recorded 406
\ncases of child abuse in 1998, but estimated that up to 70,000
\nchildren are sexually assaulted every year.<\/p>\n
As many as 150,000 children become prostitutes every year.
\nFurther, the number of children in refugee centers because of
\npolitical conflicts has also increased rapidly, as has the number
\nof child soldiers in Aceh and Maluku.<\/p>\n
Q: It is not a pretty picture, but why are we in this situation?<\/p>\n
A: One reason is that we are still a very bureaucratic society,
\none which is not \"pro-children\". In many cases, children issues
\nare often taken lightly and considered to be \"apolitical\", so
\nthey are only discussed at random. Our politicians do not include
\nchildren in their agenda, because children don't vote and are
\n\"nonmarketable\".<\/p>\n
Let's look at the state budget for human resources
\ndevelopment, which includes education and health. Only 3.8
\npercent of the whole budget is allocated for education and 8
\npercent for health development.<\/p>\n
This raises the question, how strong is our commitment to
\ndeveloping our children and human resources? It is clear that our
\ngovernment is now giving emphasis to economic (issues) and
\nindustry rather than human resource development.<\/p>\n
But look at Russia, China, which allocate (at least) 25
\npercent of their budgets for education, while Malaysia and
\nSingapore provide over 10 percent of their budgets for the same
\npurpose. Taiwan is a good example as it allocates 15 percent of
\nits state budget for education. Currently, 31.7 percent of its
\npopulation has a tertiary education.<\/p>\n
Q: Have we got the tools in place to protect the children?<\/p>\n
A: The government has actually enacted many pieces of
\nlegislation, including the 1990 presidential decree ratifying the
\nConvention of the Rights of the Child. This is the starting point
\nfor our campaign to develop the quality of our children, as it
\nbinds us to implement agreements contained in the document.<\/p>\n
Indonesia has declared 1986 to 1996 and 1996 to 2006 as the
\ndecades of the children. A 1997 presidential decree was also
\nissued to coordinate campaigns to improve children's welfare,
\nwhile laws have also been passed in 1997, 1999 and 2000 on child
\ncourts, child workers and the elimination of child exploitation.<\/p>\n
In 1998, the government included children's rights in the
\nnational action plan for the promotion of human rights. In fact,
\nthe 1999 law on human rights also places the rights of the child
\nas an integral part of human rights; out of its 106 chapters, 15
\nare on children's rights.<\/p>\n
In addition, we are now waiting for the House of
\nRepresentatives to finish its deliberations on a bill on the
\nprotection of children.<\/p>\n
But we can't deny that the rights of many Indonesian children
\nhave yet to be protected. We have to admit the government's
\nprograms have yet to focus on children's health, education and
\ncivil rights.<\/p>\n
Q: So where have we gone wrong?<\/p>\n
A: The government's goal is for Indonesia to have generations of
\nchildren who are independent, spiritually and physically well ...
\nbut experience shows the campaigns we have waged so far -- be it
\nthe compulsory education program, the fight against malnutrition,
\nthe fight against gender bias -- are still confined to (narrow)
\nsectors.<\/p>\n
This is why many of the efforts have yet to benefit our
\nchildren. This is especially true if we have still failed to
\nlearn why some children need special protection in the first
\nplace.<\/p>\n
In 1989, the administration established a permanent task force
\nto coordinate children welfare campaigns at the national level.
\nBut because of the absence of the (government's) political will,
\nthat particular agency remains ineffective.<\/p>\n
Q: President Abdurrahman Wahid dissolved a number of institutions
\nwhich in the past were in charge of children's welfare. So who is
\ncoordinating all of the campaigns focusing on children?<\/p>\n
A: It would be ideal if the government established a national
\ncouncil for this purpose.<\/p>\n
The agency should serve as the leader in the development of
\nchildren, in charge of issues such as the promotion of the
\nConvention of the Rights of the Child, reporting progress or a
\nlack of it and ensuring the allocation of an adequate budget.
\nWith such a council, we could hope there wouldn't be any overlap
\nin children's programs. (Santi W.E. Soekanto)<\/p>",
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