Over 1,100 child workers exploited in N. Sumatra

JAKARTA (JP): More than 1,100 child workers from poor families are being exploited in fishing structures in North Sumatra's east coastal areas, a minister said.

"The child workers will suffer deep trauma... since they have been both physically and sexually exploited," Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare and Poverty Eradication Haryono Suyono said in a seminar on child labor last week.

Activists said exploitation continues, with reports of employer's involvement in the murder and rape of young boys, despite a public outcry a few years ago.

The seminar was jointly organized by the Ministry of Manpower and several non-governmental labor organizations.

Haryono said the children along with adult workers were employed in 144 jermal (fishing structures) operated by fishery companies in the province.

The structures, "built between 10 and 30 miles off shore, are (sites in which children are) very vulnerable to sexual abuse and exploitation, since they stay with adults for months on end and are free from the authority's eye."

Haryono said work on the structures was an intolerable activity for young workers and contravened the International Convention on Child Labor.

He called on the North Sumatra provincial administration to stop issuing licenses for the establishment of new fishing structures and cease renewing current ones in a move to eliminate child labor in the province.

Haryono said the government would also cooperate with several non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to eliminate child labor in fishing structures through the social safety net program.

"NGOs will be asked to provide an education and health program for child workers and their parents, while the Ministry of Manpower will be responsible for providing a training program for child workers to allow them to move to other jobs and enable parents to work, so that they will no longer send their children (out to work)." (rms)