What has the govt done for refugees?<\/p>\n
By Santi W.E. Soekanto<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Who's responsible for the nearly 800,000
\nrefugees -- two thirds of them children -- facing hardship in
\nvarious camps in Indonesia?<\/p>\n
The National Disaster Management Coordination Board (Bakornas
\nPB), a "non-structural" agency answering directly to the
\nPresident, is the body in charge of people affected by both
\nnatural and unnatural disasters. Its tasks include prevention,
\nevacuation, rehabilitation and reconstruction.<\/p>\n
The body is chaired by coordinating minister for social
\nwelfare, and manned by the chairman of the National Social
\nWelfare Agency (BKSN), the home minister, health minister,
\nhousing minister, education minister, communications minister and
\nother relevant ministers, the military commander plus various
\ngovernors of the affected areas.<\/p>\n
The agency decides the kind of assistance that is given to the
\nrefugees. Basically, emergency assistance is given for the first
\ntwo weeks following the occurrence of the disaster. The
\nassistance is usually in the form of 400 grams of rice per person
\n(at Rp 1,000 per kg) plus Rp 1,500 in cash for side dishes.<\/p>\n
The BKSN decided, for instance, that refugees in Aceh were to
\nbe given assistance for 75 days. North Sumatran refugees were
\ngiven help for 70 days, East Javanese for 70 days, West
\nKalimantan 70 days, Southeast Sulawesi 70 days, South Sulawesi 70
\ndays and East Nusa Tenggara 70 days while refugees in Maluku were
\ngiven 90 days of assistance.<\/p>\n
According to data at the Center for the Welfare of Indonesian
\nChildren (YKAI), these guidelines do not always stand. Assistance
\nto Maluku and West Kalimantan, for instance, has been extended
\nnow to almost one year.<\/p>\n
A recent report of the YKAI listed a number of programs
\nlaunched by various institutions to help the refugees. The
\nMinistry of National Education, for instance, is currently
\nstudying the possibility of establishing Maluku Alternative
\nEducation (PAM) for refugee children in the islands.<\/p>\n
Initiated following several meetings with various NGOs from
\nboth Muslim and Christian groups, PAM will also include
\nsupplementary food programs for the children, trauma counseling
\nand a specific program geared for older children.<\/p>\n
The office of State Minister of Transmigration is in charge of
\nrelocating and assisting refugees in new settlements for up to
\none year.<\/p>\n
The refugees from Sambas, West Kalimantan, for instance, were
\nresettled in Tebang Kacang, Pontianak regency, in the same
\nprovince, and on Madura Island. The Madurese refugees were given
\nhousing and a one-hectare of land each.<\/p>\n
The office also distributed a total of 2,188 units of housing
\nfrom Japan to refugees in Aceh. It will also resettle 4,250
\nfamilies to 11 provinces.<\/p>\n
The National Commission for the Protection of Children, a non-
\ngovernmental organization, set up a Trauma Center in East Nusa
\nTenggara. Its activists investigate incidents and screen children
\nwho have experienced physical and psychological trauma, and
\nengage in various methods to help the children express their
\npain. Some of the activists are trained to give therapy.<\/p>\n
The commission, in addition, also organized play therapy,
\ntransition schooling and training for trainers.<\/p>\n
Another organization involved with the refugees is the
\nLutheran World Service which has opened a "Tent School" in the
\nNoelbaki refugee camp in Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara.<\/p>\n
Yet another organization involved, according to YKAI, is the
\nMedicine Sans Frontier whose activists trained local paramedics
\nto provide post traumatic stress disorder for refugees.<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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