Participating in violence 'is harmful to youngsters'

Participating in violence 'is harmful to youngsters'

JAKARTA (JP): Psychologists have expressed deep concern over
the active role of children in clashes between security officers
and students on main thoroughfares in the city last week.

Interviewed separately by The Jakarta Post on Saturday, Frida
Mangunsong from the University of Indonesia and Irwanto from Atma
Jaya University said the children's involvement would only lead
the young teenagers becoming aggressive later.

According to Frida, the teenagers, most of whom were street
children, could consider taking part in the clashes with security
troops an exciting experience.

Some of them may see such occurrences as a great opportunity
to take revenge against security personnel, who often act harshly
toward street children, she said.

"If such instances occur over quite a long period of time, it
is not impossible that one day we will have a generation that
only relies on physical power to solve any kind of problem,"
Frida said.

The expert on education psychology also said the fact that
adults, the real protesters, were encouraging children to become
aggressive toward security could have a detrimental effect on the
children.

"The adults, for example, only watch and sometimes praised the
children's violent acts. The adults might not realize that the
children, after committing acts of violence, often consider
themselves heroes," she said.

Sharing the idea, Irwanto of Atma Jaya said children did have
a right to become involved in politics as it would help determine
their fate and lives.

But nobody, including children, has the right to be violent
toward the authorities.

He said adults who were continuously involved in actions
against troops must have a simple black-and-white way of
thinking.

"They think that all security officers are cruel and therefore
should be opposed. They're not aware that life is complex,"
Irwanto said.

He also suggested the media help shield children by not
publishing pictures or broadcasting footage of youngsters
attacking officers. This way they would not learn to consider
such acts as heroic.

Otherwise children across the country could start to believe
that physical violence or murder was a common thing, worried the
senior researcher of the center for societal development studies
at Atma Jaya University.

Frida said she considered it a pity that some adults
encouraged youngsters to behave violently.

"It's dangerous. The adults should instead prevent little boys
from taking part in any violence," she explained.

She added that most adults were unaware that they were giving
bad lessons to young people.

Since last year, some children have accompanied their elders
in violent acts like clashes with troops, arson and looting in
the capital.

During the tension between anti-Habibie protesters and troops
on Friday, a young boy aged about 10 delivered a speech using
harsh and crude language against the government and the military
in front of a strong cordon of military personnel.

He was surrounded and applauded by students, one of whom
helped the boy use a megaphone.

The scene was later broadcast on TV.

Seemingly proud with the support, the boy then pointed at the
military personnel, who were about three times taller than him,
and verbally abused them in vile language.

Earlier, some children were seen hurling stones at troops, who
responded by firing tear gas canisters. (ind/bsr)