Street children rise in number, bring more complex problems<\/p>\n
Tantri Yuliandini, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The past few years have seen an alarming increase in the
\nnumber of street children on Jakarta's streets. To confirm this,
\njust go to any major intersection, where every time the traffic
\nlights turn red children aged between six and 10 flock to peer
\ninto car windows and beg.<\/p>\n
Some clap their hands in accompaniment to the incoherent tune
\nthey try to sing to earn that extra Rp 100 (about US$0.10) from
\nkind motorists. Others do not bother, and just stare at you
\nthrough the window while crying \"ma'am, give me money for food\".<\/p>\n
It would be pitiful if it wasn't so annoying, because once you
\ngive them a coin, others nearby get wind of it and the next thing
\nyou know you'll have a dozen children peering through your
\nwindows.<\/p>\n
But such is life on the streets of Jakarta, and while the
\nhotshots in parliament play at their political power game, more
\nand more children are forced by poverty to turn to the streets.<\/p>\n
The phenomenon of children forced to make a living on the
\nstreets is just one of many instances of the deprivation of
\nchildren's basic rights, and not only in Indonesia but in all of
\nthe member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian
\nNations (ASEAN), especially following the economic crisis that
\nbegan in July.<\/p>\n
ASEAN comprises Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand,
\nSingapore, Malaysia, Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam.<\/p>\n
Children have the right to protection from trafficking and
\nabduction, children have the right to protection from neglect,
\nthe right to play, the right to protection from sexual abuse, the
\nright to protection from hazardous work, and the right to
\neducation.<\/p>\n
These are some of the rights of children stipulated by the
\nUnited Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, which came
\ninto force in 1990. Any violations of this convention result in
\ndepriving a child of his or her rights.<\/p>\n
Lily I. Rilantono, president of the Indonesian Child Welfare
\nFoundation (YKAI), noted that thinking on the issue of deprived
\nchildren had shifted since the 1960's when the concern was
\nstrictly for orphans and children with handicap problems.<\/p>\n
Today, the problems facing children are much more diverse,
\nranging from abuse and exploitation, neglect, and juvenile
\ndelinquency, to physically and mentally disabled children,
\ndisadvantaged children, and children affected by AIDS.<\/p>\n
However, these problems are often interrelated, and a child in
\ndifficult circumstances usually faces other risks.<\/p>\n
A street child is prone to sexual exploitation or involvement
\nin hazardous work. And a child working in a brothel or living on
\nthe streets may be escaping abuse at home.<\/p>\n
Parents who abuse their children may be victims of drug
\naddiction, and children who are involved in commercial sexual
\nexploitation may be infected with HIV\/AIDS and be addicted to
\ndrugs.<\/p>\n
The children who peer into car windows begging for coins are
\nonly a small part of the tens of thousands who fall under the
\ncategory of street children. Others become street musicians who
\nlighten up the dreariness of bus and train rides.<\/p>\n
Still others work as shoe polishers, newspaper peddlers, and
\nmay even become thieves or pickpockets.<\/p>\n
A study by Atma Jaya University's Community Study and
\nDevelopment Center shows that about 75,000 children below 18
\nyears of age in Indonesia are street children.<\/p>\n
The study also shows that many of these children begin working
\non the street before the age of 12, and that only 43 percent
\nstill go to school.<\/p>\n
\"They (street children) become a small community and create a
\nmarginalized subculture, adapting different values and
\nattitudes,\" Lily said, adding that they are exposed to other
\nkinds of abuse, whether it be physical, mental or sexual.<\/p>\n
The problem goes on, and where government aid fails to make a
\ndifference -- largely due to limited budgets -- non-governmental
\norganizations (NGOs) have stepped in to help.<\/p>\n
The assistance provided by NGOs ranges from the provision of
\nsupplementary food, health services, provision of scholarships
\nand school equipment, education and skills training, and economic
\nempowerment for children's parents.<\/p>\n
Funding for these NGOs comes from international and domestic
\ndonor institutions, the government, the private sector, community
\ncontributions and individual donors.<\/p>\n
Without these contributions from society, who knows how many
\nmore children would have to suffer on the streets of Jakarta.<\/p>\n
Some NGOs focusing on deprived children in Jakarta:<\/p>\n
* Anak Bangsa Foundation. Address: Jl. Lontar Atas No. 143,
\nKebon Melati, Tanah Abang, Central Jakarta. Activity: Focus on
\nthe empowerment of street children and their parents.<\/p>\n
* Bangun Mitra Sejati Foundation. Address: Jl. H. Baping No.
\n10. RT10\/RW07 Susukan, Ciracas, East Jakarta 13750. Phone: (021)
\n8416965, 87793849. Activity: Focus on community development and
\ntraining center.<\/p>\n
* Gema Mandiri Bangsa Foundation. Address: Jl. Manggarai
\nUtara Gg. Langgar No. 61, South Jakarta. Phone: (021) 83706371.
\nActivity: Focus on the empowerment of street children and their
\nparents, and community development.<\/p>\n
* Indonesian Child Welfare Foundation (YKAI). Address: Jl.
\nTeuku Umar 10, Central Jakarta. Phone: (021) 327308, 327316,3107030.
\nEmail: icwf@indosat.net.id Activity: Focus on child welfare.<\/p>\n
* Kesejahteraan Anak Pinggiran Foundation (YKAP). Address:
\nJl. Tebet Timur II G No. 11, South Jakarta. Phone: (021) 8301046.
\nEmail: ykap@centrin.net.id Activity: Focus on the provision of
\neducational assistance for kindergarten and primary school children.<\/p>\n
* Daya Dharma Institution. Address: Jl. Katedral No. 5, Central
\nJakarta. Phone: (021) 3346172. Activity: Focus on the provision of
\neducational and health assistance, and community development.<\/p>\n
* Setia Kawan Mandiri Foundation. Address: Jl. Poncol Raya
\nNo. 2, RT07\/RW03, Pondok Bambu, East Jakarta. Phone: (021) 4529820.
\nActivity: Focus on the empowerment of street children and their
\nparents, and community development.<\/p>",
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