RI's children rights neglected<\/p>\n
Our children are the future of the country. But do they
\nreceive the treatment which befits this honorable position in a
\nnation which has committed itself to upholding the rights of
\nminors? In conjunction with National Children's Day of July 23,
\nThe Jakarta Post team of Benget Simbolon Tnb, Budiman Moerdijat,
\nDevi M. Asmarani, Ida Indawati Khouw, Primastuti Handayani,
\nReiner Simanjuntak, Sugianto Tandra and photographer P.J. Leo
\nexplore the issue here together with Gin Kurniawan and Sumanto
\nin Yogyakarta.<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): \"Your child is not your possession,\" proclaims a
\nsticker on the back of a car.<\/p>\n
This statement is self-evident and is at the core of what is
\nknown as children's rights.<\/p>\n
Children's rights?<\/p>\n
\"Come on, do we really want to stuff our youngsters full of
\nthose sort of ideas?\" Novie, a working mother, said.<\/p>\n
\"What next, more time to play?\" she sneered.<\/p>\n
Novie possess an attitude which prevails in many countries
\nlike Indonesia, namely that the concept of children's rights is a
\nlofty idealistic proposal supported only by a handful of elite
\ngroups and non-governmental organizations.<\/p>\n
But acknowledging children's rights is not a new thing for the
\ncountry.<\/p>\n
In January 1990, the government ratified the United Nations
\nConvention on the Rights of the Child.<\/p>\n
The convention guarantees that every child -- any person below
\n18 years old -- has the right to live and grow in a safe and
\nhealthy environment. The government must ensure this if parents
\nor guardians cannot.<\/p>\n
In a nutshell, the convention states that all actions which
\naffect children must take full account of their best interests,
\nwithout exception.<\/p>\n
What has happened since then? Has there been progress towards
\nstrengthening children's rights in the country? Has the
\ngovernment fulfilled its commitments as a signatory to the
\nconvention? Has it promoted a society where the rights of
\nchildren are regarded as equal to the basic human rights of
\nadults?<\/p>\n
\"Far from it,\" says Damanhuri Rosadi, the Head of the Forum of
\nCommunication for Children's Cultivation and Development.<\/p>\n
\"Our adults still neglect to recognize the value and dignity
\nof their children,\" Damanhuri said.<\/p>\n
Examples of violations of children's rights are evident
\nthroughout our society, from highly publicized cases of physical
\nand sexual abuse down to subtle examples of abuse in the home
\nsuch as neglecting a child's right to express his or her opinion,
\nan entitlement clearly stated in the convention.<\/p>\n
One of the most overlooked rights is the entitlement to a name
\nand nationality which is institutionalized through the issuance
\nof a birth certificate.<\/p>\n
According to a recently published Unicef study, no more than
\n60 percent of children in Indonesia have birth certificates.<\/p>\n
In Indonesia a birth certificate is required to obtain an
\nofficial identity card, enroll a child in school, obtain a
\npassport, and in some cases to get a job.<\/p>\n
A child without a birth certificate is automatically robbed of
\nthe possibility of obtaining an official name and nationality and
\nthe services which his or her country and society can offer.<\/p>\n
The convention also requires the state to protect the civil
\nrights of the child.<\/p>\n
However, in practice there is one obvious type of
\ndiscrimination taking place which is perpetrated both by the
\ngovernment and society at large.<\/p>\n
Girls<\/p>\n
Girls are still blatantly discriminated against.<\/p>\n
In rural villages girls are still often educated to a lower
\nlevel than boys. In some cases, girls are used as a vehicle out
\nof poverty through forced unions with partners from more affluent
\nbackgrounds.<\/p>\n
Unicef reported that 17 percent of Indonesia's female children
\naged between 15 and 19 years old were either married or living in
\ncohabitation, compared to only 2 percent of male children in the
\nsame age group.<\/p>\n
This results in 58,000 babies being born to mothers of those
\nages every year and has been linked to high infant and maternal
\nmortality rates in many areas.<\/p>\n
Young girls are also often the victims of abuse and
\nexploitation.<\/p>\n
The Indonesian Children's Welfare Foundation (YKAI) reported
\nthat young girls made up 87 percent of the victims in the 538
\ncases of sexual abuse which were recorded in the country between
\n1994 to 1997.<\/p>\n
Sadly, the majority of the perpetrators were either members of
\nthe victims' families or those close to them, such as their
\nteachers.<\/p>\n
Girls are also often the victims of exploitative enterprises
\nsuch as child prostitution. It is not uncommon for people to earn
\nlarge amounts of money by selling the virginity of girls in their
\nearly teens.<\/p>\n
This practice does not go unnoticed by the authorities, but
\ninstead of protecting the children, local police and village
\nauthorities often take a cut from the sordid business.<\/p>\n
Brutality<\/p>\n
In many cases, not only do the authorities fail to protect
\nchildren, it is them who deprive them of their rights.<\/p>\n
Catholic priest Sandyawan Sumardi says the authorities often
\nforce street children to do unthinkable things when they have
\nthem in their power.<\/p>\n
\"They shave their heads, or force them to lick the floor
\nbefore they kick them out of train stations,\" said Sandyawan, who
\nchairs the Jakarta Social Institute which works to help the urban
\npoor. Street children often go on to imitate this brutality in
\ntheir harsh lives, he added.<\/p>\n
Sandyawan said street children who witnessed the violence of
\nthe recent May riots were badly affected.<\/p>\n
\"At the recent jamboree for street children they yelled
\n'loot... burn!' while they played. Some even yelled 'rape!'\"
\nSandyawan said.<\/p>\n
Unicef recorded at least 50,000 street children in the country
\nprior to the economic crisis which started in the middle of last
\nyear. Reports have said that the number has grown since then,
\nclearly indicating the government's failure to resolve yet
\nanother major problem.<\/p>\n
Children are vulnerable to physical abuse because the country
\nlacks both a law or the awareness to prevent minors from falling
\nvictim to domestic violence.<\/p>\n
\"If someone sees their neighbor physically abusing their
\nchild, he or she will most likely not report it to the
\nauthorities,\" Damanhuri said.<\/p>\n
Indonesian children's rights have very weak legal protection
\naccording to Arist Merdeka Sirait, a child rights activist from
\nthe Indonesian Committee for the Creative Education of Child
\nLabor Foundation.<\/p>\n
\"Indonesia has no special law for child protection.. (nor for)
\nhealth. How can you provide protection and welfare for children
\nwhen you don't even have these basic laws?\" he said.<\/p>\n
Currently laws pertaining to children are scattered across
\nmany different acts, with the exception of the 1979 law on
\nchildren's welfare, which is considered by many to be inadequate.<\/p>\n
Children's rights are included in the labor law, marriage law,
\nand the child court law, which was issued last year. These laws
\ncontradict one another, even in simple matters such as defining
\nthe age up to which an individual is considered to be a minor in
\nthe eyes of the court.<\/p>\n
The child welfare law states that a child is an individual who
\nis under 21 and not married. The labor law rules that children
\nbelow the age of 15 are not allowed to work. The minimum age at
\nwhich boys and girls can legally marry are different under the
\nmarriage law, and the criminal legal system basically treats
\njuvenile offenders as adults.<\/p>\n
\"There are many laws, but not a comprehensive one that
\nguarantees that child's rights will be observed and that those
\nwho neglect, abuse, and exploit children will be punished,\"
\nDamanhuri said. He argued that parents, companies, the military,
\npolice and the government must all be made liable for any abuse
\nof children's rights which they are found guilty of perpetrating.
\n(team)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/ris-children-rights-neglected-1447893297",
"image": ""
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