'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)