Govt to launch campaign to protect kids

JAKARTA (JP): The government plans to launch a national movement next month to protect children, Minister of Social Services Inten Soeweno said yesterday.

She told reporters after the first plenary meeting to discuss the campaign that the responsibility for nurturing children did not lie solely with teachers or the government but with all of society.

"With the launching of the movement to protect children, we hope everyone, from parents and teachers to other members of society will learn the importance of nurturing children," the minister said.

The campaign would be launched in Jakarta to coincide with National Children's Day on July 23, Inten said.

She did not disclose details of the upcoming campaign.

The meeting was attended by officials from other government agencies and public figures from the world of children's education such as Kak Seto Mulyadi and Ibu Kasur, Antara reported.

Inten underlined the importance of the campaign as a way to raise public awareness of how to rear children properly.

She said children were the future leaders of this nation. Society must therefore shoulder the responsibility of ensuring their welfare needs were provided.

Conditions had changed so much over the last 30 years that techniques for nurturing children today were completely different from those used a generation ago, she said.

Minister of Health Sujudi announced separately yesterday the government's plan to distribute 15 million cards to senior citizens, entitling them to cut-rate periodic health checks at government-run health centers.

The cards would be distributed this month as part of the government's program to mark Senior Citizen's Day on June 8, Antara reported him as saying.

The government is adopting the theme Old, Useful, Qualified, Healthy, Productive and Bright in Old Age for this year's Senior Citizen's Day.

The cards would carry details of the holder's health, such as nutrient levels and blood pressure, he said.

The government had already provided a number of special facilities to senior citizens, such as lifetime ID cards and discounts on air fares, he said.

The Ministry of Health had proposed extending these facilities to include discounts at hospitals, for medical visits and tax breaks, he said.

On Senior Citizen's Day President Soeharto is scheduled to give a nationwide address underlining the role that senior citizens can play in national development. (emb)