MP Proposes Comprehensive Evaluation of Daycare Governance

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Member of DPR RI Commission VIII, Maman Imanulhaq, has proposed to the government a comprehensive evaluation of the governance of child daycare facilities, following the emergence of a violence case at a daycare in Yogyakarta.

“If cases like this keep recurring, it means there’s something wrong with the system, and that cannot be resolved merely by imprisoning the perpetrators,” said Maman, quoted in Jakarta on Tuesday.

He then requested that the handling of the case should not stop at merely arresting the perpetrator.

“Do not just arrest the field perpetrators. Dismantle the system that allows this to happen. Do not turn a blind eye to the failed system,” he said.

The occurrence of violence cases in child daycare facilities, according to Maman, indicates deeper problems beyond mere individual behaviour. He views practices of child-rearing that lead to torture as an indication of the state’s weak supervision over the increasingly proliferating daycare institutions, especially in urban areas.

“Parents entrust their children to be cared for, not to be hurt. But what happens is the opposite. This is a betrayal of public trust,” he stated.

According to Maman, gaps in supervision, weak licensing controls, and the absence of strict standards for caregivers are factors that allow similar cases to recur repeatedly.

Commission VIII of DPR RI, said Maman, will encourage the government to tighten supervision and ensure child protection becomes a priority in every policy related to childcare services.

Previously, the Minister for Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection (PPPA), Arifah Fauzi, hoped that the child violence case at the Yogyakarta daycare would become a momentum for national evaluation so that all daycares can meet service and child protection standards.