Bapemperda considers sanctions for irresponsible parents

Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Regional Regulation Formation Agency (Bapemperda) of the Jakarta DPRD is considering including sanctions for parents who are irresponsible towards their children in the Draft Regional Regulation (Ranperda) on Family Development. “We are still studying what kind of punishment should be imposed by the DKI Regional Government on fathers who are irresponsible towards their children,” said the Chairman of the Jakarta DPRD Bapemperda, Abdul Aziz, in Jakarta on Tuesday. Aziz stated that they have received various inputs during the working meeting on the Draft Regional Regulation on Family Development, particularly inputs related to the role of the DKI Provincial Government in supporting the process of building family resilience. According to him, this meeting also received inputs on policy practices in other regions to serve as references in drafting the Ranperda. He mentioned that the City of Surabaya has implemented sanctions for fathers who are not responsible for their families after divorce. Nevertheless, Aziz said that they are still in the stage of deepening and determining the appropriate form of sanctions that suit the conditions and applicable regulations. He added that through comprehensive discussions based on studies, the Ranperda can produce strong and integrated regulations capable of addressing various social challenges faced by urban communities. Currently, the Jakarta DPRD Bapemperda has begun discussing the Ranperda on Family Development article by article. In that discussion, Bapemperda received various inputs regarding steps that need to be taken by the DKI Jakarta Provincial Government to support family development. In addition, the meeting also discussed the definition of family in the Ranperda. The majority of Bapemperda members believe that there needs to be an affirmation of the definition of family clearly in the regulation. “In the discussion, it was agreed that the definition of family needs to be formulated firmly so as not to cause multiple interpretations,” he added.