Millions of children may be stunted: Sujudi

Millions of children may be stunted: Sujudi

JAKARTA (JP): Minister of Health Sujudi said four million
children under the age of five may be stunted because their basic
life needs are not being met.

"These children are facing problems which may affect their
cognitive, affective and social development," he told the
National Congress of Pediatrics in Bukittinggi, West Sumatra.

According to 1994 Unicef data, Indonesia has 21.7 million
children under the age of four.

The minister was quoted by Antara as saying on Friday that
many of the children's parents suffer from problems induced by
the high stress of industrialization and urbanization.

"In this era, many of people's needs are not being met,
neither in quantity nor quality. This creates psychosocial
problems such as juvenile delinquency and drug abuse," Sujudi
said.

He underlined the importance of the first 18 years of an
individual's life.

"If any developmental tasks during this period are disturbed,
then this person's quality as an adult will be affected," he
argued.

The minister suggested that parents take time off to pay more
attention to their children's basic needs by creating a loving
environment as well as providing a healthy diet, medical care and
education. "Only then can the children achieve their optimum
growth," Sujudi argued.

Separately, State Minister of Population Haryono Suyono once
again called on the public to provide funds to send children to
school.

President Soeharto inaugurated the National Foster Parents
Movement on May 29, in Demak, Central Java, by pledging to take
care of 100,000 children in need of financial assistance.

Soeharto said there are currently six million children who are
too poor to afford schooling. Of these, 400,000 need immediate
care, he said.

Haryono said the foster parent program is part of the
commemoration of Children's Day on July 23. President Soeharto
will lead the celebration which will be attended by 25,000
children. There will be 1,000 children from the remote areas of
Indonesia and neighboring countries. (31)