Congress to select Child Ambassadors

Congress to select Child Ambassadors

Slamet Susanto, The Jakarta Post, Yogyakarta

Participants in the Indonesian Children's Congress (KAI) are
slated to choose 10 representatives to be child ambassadors for
Indonesia.

If they are appointed as ambassadors, they will promote the
Law on Child Protection to the public, in order to advance
children's rights.

"The would-be ambassadors understand the problems being faced
by children in Indonesia, so that they can explain and defend
children' rights well locally and within the international
community," Ciptaningsih Utaryo, the chairwoman of the congress,
told The Jakarta Post on Thursday, on the sidelines of the
congress.

The four-day congress will end on Saturday. The congress, the
fourth so far held in the country, is being attended by 271
participants, mostly children up to 18 years old.

According to Ciptaningsih, the ambassadors had to promote the
four basic rights of children, namely the right to live, the
right to grow, the right to be protected and the right to
participate in public affairs.

"The rights are included in a United Nations convention, but
violence against children in our community is rampant," said
Ciptaningsih, who is also an executive board member of Sayap Ibu
(Mother's Wing) Foundation in Yogyakarta.

The violence against children takes the form of domestic
violence and sexual abuse. Due to financial difficulties, the
children are also often forced by their parents to work.

The chairman of the National Commission on Human Rights on
Child Protection (Komnas Anak), Seto Mulyadi, said that the
congress was aimed at strengthening networking among child
activists and building the national character of children.

The congress is also aimed at increasing government awareness
of children's rights.

At the end of the congress, the participants will draw up
recommendations for the government.