'Kids' safety comes before money, job'

Police have been investigating abduction cases for four months now, but have yet to find out who all the perpetrators and victims might be. The latest occurrence was in Serpong, Tangerang, in which the kidnappers demanded a Rp 4 billion ransom for a child's safe return. Such crimes have sparked fear among parents here.The Jakarta Post asked some city residents about possible threats. They responded that safety was the main priority, despite ransom demands.

Sisca, 30, is a housewife with two children who lives in Ciganjur, South Jakarta. Her husband works for a multinational tobacco company in South Jakarta:

I know that there have been many kidnappings from TV and newspaper reports. I'm full of sympathy for parents whose children have been kidnapped.

I'd worry if it happened to my children. Fortunately, my babysitter accompanies my youngest daughter to her kindergarten, while her brother uses a pickup service, together with his schoolmates.

I tell them to be extra-vigilant at school and avoid encounters with strangers. Schools have been a hotbed for kidnappers, right?

If it happened to my children, I'd report it to the local police to deal with, despite the financial burden it would place on the police service.

I would struggle as best I could to ensure my children were safe, for otherwise their lives would be at risk. Their safety is more important than money.

In this respect, I guess banks should cooperate with the police to track down kidnappers via their bank accounts.

Regrettably, banks here are sometimes not very willing to disclose the identity of account holders due to their internal regulations.

I hope that the perpetrators are arrested; they should be punished severely, but the death penalty is not usually given. Such harsh punishment would be an effective deterrent to would-be perpetrators, I think.

Henny, 31, is a housewife who lives in Kota Legenda, Bekasi, with her husband and two children:

I worry so much about rampant child kidnapping. I have two small children at school.

My husband tried to employ a male domestic servant, but I didn't agree. I was scared that such a person could be a potential rapist and abuse my kids sexually.

I don't trust housemaids, as I had a nightmarish experience last year: My maid used to bite my children when I was at work.

I must admit that TV crime reports now show a clearer picture of a variety of sadistic crimes -- they worry me.

I decided to quit my job as a teacher a month ago due to the worry. A job is nothing compared with my children's safety.

Every morning I take my youngest daughter to school, while my son is taken by school bus. That relieves me.

I'd have no idea what to do if I had to deal with criminals who'd kidnapped my kids. I don't have enough money to fulfill a ransom demand. I'd have to rely on my husband to secure their release as he's the breadwinner.

Worse still, we can hardly rely on the police, given their poor performance. They work seriously only when a case is financially beneficial for them.

I suggest that convicted kidnappers should be dealt the maximum penalty so as to prevent the occurrence of other cases.

Amin, 36, is an ojek (motorcycle taxi) driver in Palmerah, Central Jakarta. He lives in Jl. Gelora, Central Jakarta, with his wife and two children:

As a father, I can't deny I'm scared now that kidnapping seems to be getting widespread.

I have a daughter who's still at elementary school. One of her classmates was once kidnapped at school and the crooks stole some valuables from her.

Therefore, I make the effort to pick my daughter up after school. But she knows what to do if she meets a stranger who might commit a crime.

I can't just leave her on her own without keeping a watchful eye on her. I reckon that adults are often unaware of danger, let alone mere kids.

Like it or not, we'd report it to the local police if it happened to my family. I'm sure they'd have the know-how to handle such things, regardless of their poor performance.

Despite the difficulties, I'm sure instances of abduction can be thoroughly investigated. If it involved a bank in the transfer of a ransom payment, it should cooperate in tracing the suspects.

-- Leo Wahyudi S.