Program for street kids only for show: Activist

Program for street kids only for show: Activist

JAKARTA (JP): A social activist gave the city administration a
failing grade on Tuesday for its efforts to improve the welfare
of street children included in the Rumah Singgah (sheltering)
program.

Deputy executive director of the Indonesian Child Welfare
Foundation (YKAI) Arum Kusumanegara said the city administration
neglected the program's true mission to help the children and
instead focused on its own objectives.

"The city administration has only observed the security and
aesthetic aspects of the program," she told The Jakarta Post.

Political concerns appeared to be paramount in administrators'
approach to the program.

"The city administration set up 43 shelters, one in every
district, to foster street children whose number has been
increasing due to the prolonged economic crisis, and ceaselessly
launched promotions for the adoption of the sheltering program
just before the June 1999 general election," Arum said.

"That's the reason why people consider the city-sponsored
program was merely a political move to gain public sympathy."

With the assistance of the Asian Development Bank and the
United Nations Development Program, the government allocated Rp
15 billion (US$2.14 million) through the Ministry of Social
Services from the state budget to finance non-governmental
organizations (NGOs) involved in the sheltering program
nationwide.

Funds were earmarked to finance the operational expenditures
and provide scholarships, counseling, nonformal education and
vocational training for the street children.

As many as 11,000 children in the city were categorized as
street children in 1999. They were below 16 years of age and
worked as candy sellers, car cleaners, shoe-shiners and beggars.

In Jakarta, there are 61 NGOs involved in the program. Last
year, they received a total of Rp 4.3 billion to run the
shelters, but they could only accommodate 4,000 children.

Arum said the program was not properly managed by the city
administration and only added to expenses when there were still
an estimated 7,000 children still on the streets.

The program has been implemented through picking up street
children and taking them to the shelters, where they received
money to buy food and were allowed to stay. However, no
counseling, education and training programs were provided.

Arum said the sheltering program should ideally be aimed at
helping the children survive tough street life and providing them
with necessary skills. "And the program should be carried out in
the best interest of the children."

She urged the city administration to design a special
education program and modify the existing sheltering program to
suit the conditions of street children in Jakarta.

"On the streets, those children are subject to abuse and
intimidation from police officers and adults."

She said she was pessimistic about an improvement in
conditions because of the lack of volunteers capable of running
the program, combined with poor facilities and the rigid
education system.

"Unless, the new government puts more emphasis on the
program's implementation, the problems will prevail."

She expected that the sheltering program would continue
although the social services ministry was abolished from the
current Cabinet. (06)