Child protection drive launched

Child protection drive launched

Sari P. Setiogi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

To stem the growing number of children involved in the sex
industry, the government is preparing a nationwide campaign.

A pilot project will be launched at tourism sites, campaigning
through posters, stickers and banners, Seto Mulyadi of the
National Commission for Children's Protection (Komnas PA) told a
seminar recently.

"The pilot project will start in Bali and Batam, as both have
now become potential markets for child prostitution among tourism
destinations in the country," said Seto. "But soon it will spread
to other areas."

The pilot project will also cooperate with the tourism
industry -- including hotels, travel agents and restaurants --
and will also involve a community awareness campaign.

The number of children being exposed to sexual exploitation in
tourism is increasing exponentially. However, it is hard to
determine an accurate figure of how many children have been
affected, as it is an illegal business.

Another speaker at the seminar, Maria Hartiningsih of Kompas
daily, said that the number of children involved in the illicit
business increased by 50 percent after the 1997 economic crisis.

"About 30 percent of the female prostitutes in the country are
under 18 years of age," she said.

Several causes are behind the increasing number of child
prostitutes in Indonesia, she said, citing the high number of
children who drop out from school and the temptation to go into
the business as their families need money.

"We also know that in some regions, marriage at a very young
age is part of the culture and hence, they are prone to producing
very young divorcees," she said. "Those young widows are widely
welcomed by the industry."

For example, on Batam island near Singapore, she said, almost
every hotel is involved in the business.

"Young girls made-up and using sensual body language, sitting
on old men's laps, is a common scene," Maria said, referring to
pedophilia.

She said it was time to stop the posturing, the politicking
and the endless debating on pedophilia to avoid a case such as
that of the young pedophile victim in the Philippines.

Minister for Culture and Tourism I Gede Ardika said that
Indonesia aimed to build an image of tourism that was free of the
sex industry.

"We do not want sexual tourism to grow in the country,
particularly the child sex industry," he said. "We should make
sure that children are protected from such practices."