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.