Police urged to curb violence against children
Police urged to curb violence against children
Apriadi Gunawan, The Jakarta Post, Medan, North Sumatra
A local nongovernmental organization and law practitioner
strongly urged the police to be proactive in enforcing the law to
curb the increasing violence against children in North Sumatra.
The Center for Child Protection and Study (PKPA) said that the
number of violent acts against children has been increasing over
the last three years, partly because of an absence of law
enforcement.
"Violent acts against children in families, and other crimes
against children, are no longer internal matters in communities.
Whoever is involved in violence against children must be brought
to justice," PKPA activist Sulaiman Zuhdi Manik told The Jakarta
Post here on Wednesday.
Sulaiman made the statement in line with International
Children's Day which was celebrated in Indonesia.
He said that according to PKPA's data, the number of violent
acts against children has increased to 300 in 2002, from 170 in
2001, and the figure was expected to increase drastically this
year since 344 incidences have been recorded in the first six
months of the year.
"The data shows that sexual abuse, including rape, is the most
common offence. Out of 344 cases there have been 105 rape cases,
35 incest cases, 34 murder cases, 21 child trafficking cases and
six paedophile cases," he said.
He cited that 214 cases occurred in the provincial capital of
Medan and most of the victims were female. The crimes were
committed by neighbors, friends and family members.
Sulaiman regretted that only ten percent of the cases were
brought to court, saying it was proof that the police have yet to
be serious in handling crimes against children.
He also said trafficking of women and children has long been
an issue in the province, but so far local authorities have not
curbed the syndicates behind the serious crime.
Law practitioner Marasamin Ritonga said the police should
impose Law No. 23/2002 on child protection and take firm action
over the issue of violence against children.
"The local administration should be proactive in campaigning
for children's rights and harsh penalties for those violating the
law," he said.
He also said that many children have been involved in crimes
because of the instability of their family circumstances.
"Many street children commit crimes because they are from
broken families and they do not go to school," he said, adding
that in rural areas many children had to help their parents work
because they had no money to go to school.
The law regulates that children have the right to live and to
grow and to gain protection from all kinds of violence,
discrimination, exploitation and injustice. It carries a maximum
five-year jail sentence and Rp 100 million fine.
Chairman of the Commission V on social affairs at the
provincial legislative council, Erwan Parlinda, said his
commission was preparing a bylaw on child protection to enforce
the law effectively in the province.
"Such a bylaw is needed in addition to the pro-child
protection campaign, in the effort to improve parents'
awareness," he said.
Chief of the detective and crime unit at the Medan Police
Precinct Adj. Comr. Maruli Siahaan denied that the police were
not serious in handling crimes involving violence against
children.
"No additional measures have been taken because there has been
no serious violence over the last two years," he said.