Children speak up on what freedom is in their eyes

By Sugianto Tandra

JAKARTA (JP): Child rights is often considered a term understood only by adults.

But when they are asked, many children know how to spell out what they think should be their freedom -- from their parents, schools and other institutions of the adult world.

Interviewed recently by The Jakarta Post, those children who knew of "child rights" said they heard about it from their teachers. Social and educational differences etched their own divide between those interviewed but, curiously, street children said they considered themselves "luckier" in enjoying more freedom than their more affluent counterparts.

There may be an ironic truth in that as children from more settled families complained their homes still abided by the "be seen and not heard" rule of child rearing.

Here are excerpts of what some of the children said.

Fenny, 14, a third grader at SMP Tarakanita, Rawamangun, and her brother, Julius Adam, 12, who were playing one of the most recently released CD-ROM games at home in Bukit Permai housing complex in Cibubur, East Jakarta:

Fenny: Child rights? Of course, it's the freedom.

In school, for instance, we should be given freedom to choose subjects we like to study, so we can become good in one particular field rather than requiring us to learn all subjects, which are mostly boring.

Actually, I heard this concept from my teacher. I agree very much with the idea.

Julius interrupts: Also freedom to play. We are often banned from playing basketball during recess, only because teachers don't want us to get sweaty.

Fenny: At home, parents are often too strict, like we are not allowed to go out with our friends. But, this one we understand because our parents do it out of their love to us. Oh yes, of course we feel very lucky (compared to children of poor families).

I think all kids should be allowed to have a life like ours.

Imron, 14, and Ahmad, 11, street children, who were together at the Kota railway station, West Jakarta. For them, security people are enemies, always chasing them "just because we try to earn a living by cleaning windshields".

Imron: Child rights? (It's) freedom. We are very free. We can travel free on the train to Semarang, anywhere we like.

Street children like us should be given schools by the government. Playing fields, too.

Ahmad butts in -- he was dismissed when he was in second grade of elementary school after he was caught stealing bikes at school: They don't give (such facilities) to us when they take us to those (city-run) orphanages. They only give us food, a bed to sleep on the whole day and ask us to wash our own clothes every day. I ran away several times.

Imron: Police, the civilian security guards and city public order officers, please don't keep chasing us.

Ahmad: Yeah, Kamtib PKI (he dismisses the security officers with the initials of the outlawed Indonesian Communist Party.)

Imron, a junior high school dropout from Banten, West Java, said his hobbies were reading and drawing mountains: The government must help us enjoy our hobbies.

Ahmad: I don't have hobbies. I just like to collect oyen (street children's term for leftovers) on the train.

Imron: We should also be given comfortable beds to sleep on. "We sleep here, sometimes just here on the floor," Imron and Ahmad said. They flee whenever police officers arrive.

Andika Ikhsan, 10, a sixth grader at the state-run SDN Angkasa elementary school in Halim Perdanakusuma, East Jakarta.

Freedom means children must be free to go to school, to eat, to be taught, to play and to protest if they feel adults are unfair. For instance, in my class, teachers are sometimes unfair. Instead of picking the first student who raises his hand, the last one is given the chance to ask a question.

Children must also be free to play. Sometimes my parents just don't allow me to play as I should go do my prayers instead.

It's sometimes annoying when it is Saturday evening. But I know it's for own good for sometimes I just play too much.

I pity street children. The government should give them schools, free them from paying school fees.

Swantoro Marcel, 14, a third grader at SMP Tarakanita in Rawamangun:

Kids must not be lectured, must not be cornered, either by their parents or teachers.

It seems to me that teachers sometimes carry their family matters to class, and scold us because they are in a bad mood. It's unfair.

Parents also should not ban kids from going out with friends. Trust us.

Also, parents don't have to push us too much like demanding us to get good class ranks, or to study hard. We already know what we have to do.

And teachers, please be open to students' criticism, although sometimes they are wrong. If they're not open, it's like it's only they who know what's best for us. They are often right, though.