'RI child labor scene one of worst in Asia'

'RI child labor scene one of worst in Asia'

JAKARTA (JP): Indonesian children face some of the worst
conditions in all of Asia, the International Labor Organization
(ILO) said here on Tuesday.

The international body said child labor conditions here ranked
third worst in Asia behind India and China.

They pointed to the prevalence of the child sex industry and
the exploitation of child laborers, not to mention the countless
number of children who had been armed to fight in the various
local conflicts across the country.

Officials from the organization charged that the situation in
Indonesia was aggravated by the government's complete lack of
attention to children's welfare, despite being party to
international conventions which acknowledge children's rights.

ILO regional director Mukda Suungkol pointed out that though
Jakarta had ratified two ILO conventions on child labor, the
government had yet to launch a clear national action plan as part
of its commitment to the conventions.

"Children may work for their family ... but everybody agrees
that it is unacceptable to put children to work in hazardous
workplaces or in the worst forms of child labor. We should not
tolerate this.

"We need to draw the attention of all decision makers and key
actors to put this issue of eliminating the worst forms of child
labor on the country's main agenda," she said during a press
briefing at her office.

The briefing was part of a one-year campaign to raise
awareness of the issue. The campaign is a joint effort by local
non-governmental organization Foundation for Indonesian
Children's Welfare (YKAI) and the ILO's International Program on
the Elimination of Child Labor (ILO-IPEC).

Indonesia adopted ILO Convention No. 138 into Law No. 20/1999,
which regulates the minimum age for child laborers and the kinds
of light work they can be engaged in without eliminating their
right to education and play.

Last year, the government also adopted ILO Convention No. 182
into Law No. 1/2000, which prohibits child slavery, forced labor,
prostitution and pornography, and the employment of children in
occupations using chemical substances or explosives.

Indonesia's Central Bureau of Statistics recorded 2.3 million
children between the ages of 10 and 14 working full time last
year.

Many activists believe that the true figure is even higher,
with the ILO saying the number of child laborers in the country
is six million.

Based on reports from various non-governmental organizations
concerned with the issue, YKAI and ILO-IPEC revealed that some
21,000 child prostitutes were susceptible to trauma and venereal
diseases, while 310,378 children between the ages of 10 and 18
were forced to work as maids.

The reports also show that many more children work in life-
threatening situations due to exposure to poisonous substances at
mining sites, plantations, in the textile and textile-related
industries and in the ceramic industry.

ILO-IPEC national program manager Pandji Putranto said by
ratifying the conventions the government should have taken
immediate steps to protect children.

"Indonesia should also amend its existing regulations by
imposing sanctions and strengthening law enforcement against
those violating the law," he said.

"But we cannot only depend on the government, everybody should
take a role in stopping the exploitation of children," he said.

As part of their effort to promote the issue, YKAI and ILO-
IPEC named Indonesian celebrity Shahnaz Haque as ambassador for
child laborers. (bby)