DPR Member Calls for Strengthened Early Detection of Children's Mental Health
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Member of Commission VIII of the Indonesian House of Representatives Selly Andriany Gantina called on the government to strengthen early detection systems for children’s mental health in schools and families as a measure to prevent child suicide cases.
“Child protection policies must be reoriented toward a preventive approach, not a reactive one. So far, the state has tended to act only after tragedies occur. True child protection lies in the state’s ability to identify risks before they become crises,” she said, as quoted in Jakarta on Sunday.
She said the suicide of a 12-year-old child in Demak, Central Java, is evidence that the state has failed to safeguard the mental health of the younger generation.
“This incident is not merely a family tragedy but a moral and social alarm for the state, society, and all stakeholders in the national child protection system,” she said.
A 12-year-old elementary school student was found dead at home, with preliminary suspicions pointing to suicide with no indication of physical violence.
She said that according to developmental psychology, suicide among children under 12 is a complex phenomenon because at that age, children do not yet have a mature understanding of the finality of death. Furthermore, such actions are also influenced by emotional impulses and the surrounding social environment.
“This tragedy demands that we look at the issue honestly and structurally. A child who should be in a phase of growing, learning, and feeling fully protected is instead in an emotionally vulnerable position,” Selly said.
The former Cirebon Regent stressed that the incident must serve as a turning point to comprehensively strengthen the child protection paradigm. She said the state must not only be present as a recorder of statistics after tragedies occur but must also actively serve as a protection system that prevents, detects, and addresses children’s vulnerabilities early on.
She also urged the strengthening of family capacity as the first line of defense. She believes families must be viewed as social institutions that require state support, whether through parenting education, mental health literacy, or access to family counseling services.
“Oversight of the digital ecosystem that affects children’s psychology is also needed. Exposure to digital content without guidance can create distorted perceptions about death, suffering, and solutions to emotional distress,” she said.
She also noted that the tragedy shows that children’s vulnerability does not always correlate with economic poverty. Even in relatively well-off families, Selly said, emotional vulnerability can still occur.
As such, she reminded that children’s welfare must be understood holistically — encompassing psychological, emotional, and social well-being — not merely material welfare.