Govt moves to improve protection of children
Fitri Wulandari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Long criticized for a lack of attention to the widespread abuse of women and children -- perhaps the nation's most precious resource -- the government promised on Monday to correct this appalling situation.
With assistance from international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) as well as the government of the U.S., the government plans to address some critical problems and increase funds.
"The programs which will start next year will aim to ensure that children's rights are better protected," Sumarni Dawam Rahardjo, Deputy for Child Protection and Welfare, at the office of the Ministry of Women's Empowerment told The Jakarta Post.
So far the NGOs have been at the forefront of the fight against abuses of women and children, and now that there is extra funding, from foreigners, the government seems to have taken the issue seriously.
The government revealed the plan less than a week after the National Commission for Child Protection (KPA) revealed in its year-end report the critical situation of widespread child abuse.
The Ministry of Women's Empowerment plans to utilize such reports as an impetus to increase its budget. Next year, Sumarni said, her office expects to be handsomely rewarded with Rp 4 billion (US$400,000) due to the publicized abuse of the nation's children, which will be a significant raise from this year's Rp 1 billion.
She said that her office will later begin helping regions to design programs for children's rights according to local needs.
With support from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), her office is developing a program to tackle child trafficking in 12 provinces for the next two years. Some of the provinces are West Kalimantan, Riau, Jakarta, East Java and North Sumatra.
On child labor, Sumarni admitted her office could not do much but urge the Ministry of Manpower to take firm measures against perpetrators.
The office means to boost cooperation with the Directorate General for Informal Education, Youth and Sports at the Ministry of Education to provide education for dropout children and child laborers.
The plans received qualified praise from Seto Mulyadi, KPA's chairman, but added that the government should see to it that the project should truly be effective in serving children's interests and not "just another project" riddled with corruption, collusion and nepotism.
He advised the government to include all stakeholders, including the KPA, the NGOs and USAID who are focusing on children that need special protection such as kids in refugee camps, workplaces and in conflict areas.
"Don't let the issue become a mere public discourse without concrete results," he remarked.
He also urged the government to be more transparent and accountable to the public about how it uses the funds.