RI children need counseling<\/p>\n
Ignas Kleden, Sociologist, The Center for East Indonesian Affairs (CEIA),
\nJakarta, ceia@centrin.net.id<\/p>\n
Viewed from the perspective of time, the future are our
\nchildren. The question as to what the future would look like
\ndepends on the extent to which children are given the proper
\nattention they deserve in the present. This is why the broad
\nissue of education is so important, given normal political
\nsituations and social conditions.<\/p>\n
This normalcy has been lacking in some parts of Indonesia ever
\nsince the 1998 political reform, and even from some time before
\nthen. The fact is that many children have grown up since then in
\nthe middle of violence, wars and killings which involve people
\nvery dear to them. If we take a look at the number of human lives
\nwhich have been lost at the cost of the conflicts in Ambon,
\nMaluku, then there must be at least 9,000 people who fell victim
\nto and were killed in the violence.<\/p>\n
Let us assume that half of this number were family heads and
\nthat the other half were unmarried young men. Let us further
\nassume that the 4,500 family heads had, on average, two children.
\nAccording to this very general estimate, there are no less than
\n9,000 children who live in an environment of social and
\npsychological strains. The killings of family heads were
\nwitnessed by their children, and the killings of the young men
\nwere witnessed by their brothers and sisters.<\/p>\n
This scenario has occurred not only in Ambon, Maluku, but also
\nin Poso, Central Sulawesi, in Papua, and in Sampit, Central
\nKalimantan, as well as in Aceh.<\/p>\n
In short, there are thousands of children who are now growing
\nup resentful, bitter, and inclined towards revenge. For the time
\nbeing, many of these bitter experiences might be repressed and
\ntemporarily forgotten. However, the resentment, conscious or
\nsubconscious, is there and will not disappear automatically
\nunless serious initiatives are made towards providing special
\npsychological treatment for these children.<\/p>\n
Conflict-resolution efforts so far have only been focused on
\nthe adults, that is, on those who are able to wage war, to commit
\nviolent acts, or to take revenge immediately. This is important
\nfor short-term politics and is necessitated by security
\ndeliberations and reasons of stability.<\/p>\n
However, from a long-term perspective, it is very important to
\npay special attention to these children. Efforts should be made
\nto help them out of their psychological crises and inner
\nconflicts, and to overcome their pain and repressed resentment.<\/p>\n
This should be done not only for clinical reasons, but also on
\nthe grounds of human rights. The question is, of course: Why do
\nthese children not have what they deserve, owing to a situation
\nfor which they are not responsible? They are entitled to good
\nnutrition, parental affection and protection, a peaceful
\nenvironment in which to grow up, a good education, trust in their
\nsociety, and hope for their futures. In many conflict-ridden
\ncommunities, children are deprived of most of these basic needs.<\/p>\n
They suffer from the scarcity of food, because there is no
\nfood supply and the marketplace is closed. They cannot go to
\nschool, because the schools have been burned down by conflicting
\nparties. Parental protection becomes minimal, because they have
\nto live with only one parent or no parents at all. We hope that
\nthey still have a little trust in their society, although this is
\nsomething they can hardly afford in the face of blatant violence,
\nmutual distrust and killings. Hope for a better life might have
\nbeen superseded by a real determination to take revenge once they
\nare able to do so.<\/p>\n
Children are potential geniuses or potential fools, potential
\nheroes or potential criminals. All the possibilities are within
\nthem, whose development is very much dependent upon the adults
\naround them and how they are treated while they are not yet able
\nto make their own choices as to what to do, and how.<\/p>\n
In the case of Indonesia, the issue of children in conflict-
\nladen areas might not seem to be as important as it should be,
\nowing to the fact that there are many other children in peaceful
\nareas who face similar disadvantages. Child labor, for example,
\nis still a big problem, even today.<\/p>\n
According to the Central Bureau of Statistics (BPS), there
\nwere 2.1 million child workers in 1998, but according to the
\nInternational Labor Organization (ILO), there were at least 6
\nmillion child workers, including 2 million of whom were involved
\nin high-risk work. The same can be said of malnutrition for
\nchildren of the lower middle and the lower classes, besides
\nwhich, there are a great number of children who cannot go to
\nschool or have to stop going to school due to poverty. According
\nto data from BPS in 1998, there were 10 children between the ages
\nof 7 and 15 who became dropouts. This is not to speak of domestic
\nchild abuse, which in most cases remain hidden, protected by the
\nveil of traditional habits and social taboos.<\/p>\n
Taking all these problems into consideration, one cannot
\noverlook the fact that there is a link between the broad social
\nproblems of Indonesian children and future human resources.<\/p>\n
For example, the conditions of childhood in conflict areas has
\na lot to do with the general peace and political stability of
\nyears to come. A 7-year-old son who witnessed the murder of his
\nfather or brother in 2000 will be a young man of 19 or 20 in
\n2012. There is no guarantee whatsoever that he will not relive
\nhis terrible childhood experience and become strongly motivated
\nto avenge the death of his father or brother.<\/p>\n
In Ambon, there are no less than 9,000 or 10,000 children who
\nare living under such conditions, not to mention children in
\nSampit, Jayapura, Poso or Aceh, for that matter. There is thus a
\nreal need for serious efforts to treat these children with extra
\ncare and to provide them with special psychological treatment.<\/p>\n
Indonesia might not have enough experience in this regard, and
\nif this is the case, a different effort should be made to procure
\nassistance from international communities, such as those who have
\nbeen involved in rescue missions for children in Palestine,
\nAfghanistan, or other overseas conflict areas.<\/p>\n
To ignore this problem would not only mean denying these
\nchildren the proper future to which they have a right, but also
\nignoring the political time-bomb which will certainly explode
\nshould these children come of age without either guidance or
\ntreatment.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/ri-children-need-counseling-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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