Indonesia deploys policewomen as concerns rise for child tsunami

Indonesia deploys policewomen as concerns rise for child tsunami
survivors
by Barry Neild
= (PICTURE) =

BANDA ACEH, Indonesia, June 17 (AFP) -

Concern for children's well-being prompts use of policewomen

Barry Neild
Agence France-Presse/Banda Aceh

While most Indonesian child tsunami victims are being cared for
by family or friends six months after the disaster, new fears are
emerging that young survivors living in tightly packed camps are
being exposed to new dangers.

Several incidents of crimes against children, including one
possible case of pedophilia, are currently under investigation in
devastated Aceh province, aid agencies and police say, warning
that child trafficking also remains a threat.

In an effort to stave off a new crisis, the police in
conjunction with the UN Children's Fund are deploying a new force
of women officers, sidestepping delicate political issues to
provide a lifeline for those most at risk.

Some 40 women officers completed their training earlier this
month and will augment another 50 who have been paying regular
visits to UNICEF children's centers on the fringes of survivor
camps to keep tabs on abuse cases.

While domestic violence and crimes against children have never
been a major problem in staunchly Muslim Aceh, relief
organizations say the trauma of the disaster coupled with
uncomfortable accommodation is a recipe for trouble.

"Because people are living in cramped conditions, there is
constant friction, sometimes this can blow up," UNICEF
spokeswoman Lely Djuhari told AFP.

"There have been dozens of incidents, including a possible
pedophile case, a possible trafficking case, one of sexual
harassment and a case of violence against children," she said.

UNICEF says 1,082 children in Indonesia are listed as
"separated" from their families -- a euphemism which, in most
cases, now means orphaned. Of these, all but 70 are living with
relatives or other families in their communities.

But even within this tight-knit support group, there is a risk
that problems could develop as the stresses of living in close
quarters under canvas or temporary wooden barracks manifest into
domestic violence or child abuse.

Use of policewomen a breakthrough

That is where the policewomen come in. Teams of four officers,
wearing plain clothes to reassure wary youngsters, have been
making regular contact with children's centers at camps around
region.

The deployment of women officers in Aceh is a breakthrough for
a province where the government has previously used hard-line
Muslim sharia law -- often seen as oppressive to women -- as way
of keeping a lid on a local insurgency.

However, concerns that they might be mistaken for government
spies by rebel sympathizers means the policewomen do not enter
the children's centers or camps and rely on referrals, possibly
denying them access to those most in need.

Nevertheless, says senior officer Lieutenant Colonel Nunung
Priatni, they believe they can make a difference, even if at the
moment this is largely just spreading a message that there is
somewhere for children and women to turn to.

"What we want to do is minimize the number of cases of abuse
and send the important message that women and children do have
rights and they are entitled to protection from the law," she
told AFP.

The introduction of the policewomen has been welcomed by non-
governmental groups involved in running the child centers. They
say the new officers are a timely intervention at a time when
social cohesiveness is coming unglued.

"We haven't found any cases of child abuse so far, but we are
counseling parents against using violence against children and
the importance of their education," said Inrayanto of the
Jakarta-based Muhammadiyah organization, which runs a child
center near Banda Aceh.

"The policewomen give us a useful backup to reinforce our
messages, particularly against drugs, which are a major concern
since we found at least one case of parents abusing drugs."

According to Djuhari, the one-year policewomen deployment is
part of a broader program of changes to law-enforcement in Aceh
aimed at heading off any widespread victimization of children.

These include the setting-up of child-friendly courtrooms and
improving services at police stations to ensure that crimes
against youngsters are dealt with in a sensitive and appropriate
way.

"Domestic violence is something we're very, very concerned
about. But we do now have preventative mechanism which will help
enormously," she said.

"This program will have a positive effect on the mental
welfare here. If people realize that criminal cases are being
followed up, it will bring a lot of reassurance."

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GetAFP 2.10 -- JUN 17, 2005 09:24:06