Children protest bill on child protection

Children protest bill on child protection

JAKARTA: Nearly one hundred children gathered outside the
House of Representatives (DPR) building on Tuesday protesting the
ongoing deliberation of the Child Protection Bill.

They urged the legislators to revise and upgrade the bill
before endorsing it.

The teenaged children wore red Committee for Child Protection
(KPA) headbands, held banners and passed out pamphlets.

KPA Coordinator Ramches Merdeka, who spoke on behalf of the
children, said the protest was aimed at pressuring the House to
improve the quality of the bill.

KPA rejected the current bill because it contradicted the
Convention on Childs' Rights that had been ratified by the
government in 1996, Ramches said.

The penalties listed in the bill were lighter than those
stipulated in the Criminal Code, he said. -- JP