1,200 children involved in gambling

1,200 children involved in gambling

SURABAYA: A non-governmental organization (NGO) activist has
revealed that some 1,200 children in Pengirian, Surabaya, were
affected by the widespread gambling in the area.

As gambling dens had mushroomed in the area, many children had
become involved in the vice, either as players or workers in the
gambling dens, said Djunaidi Saripurnawan from Plan Indonesia.

He said that the children who worked in the gambling dens came
from poor families, and were doing so to supplement their
parents' incomes, while others were attracted to gambling as they
perceived it as an easy way of making money.

The NGO was currently running various programs to keep the
children away from the gambling dens, such as encouraging them to
produce wall magazines so as to express their feelings. -- JP