Rights body says circus guilty of child abuse

BOGOR (JP): The National Commission on Human Rights found that the Oriental Circus Indonesia violated the rights of the employees who ran away to the rights body for help.

Two rights body members, Muladi and Djoko Sugiyanto, on a fact finding mission, met with the circus management yesterday to find out how the circus treated its employees, especially the underage ones. The circus still employs 12 children under 17.

The meeting was arranged after two former members, as the circus management preferred to call them, told Muladi they had been abused by the circus management.

Vivi Neria Sumampau and her husband Roby told Muladi that she had been tortured at the circus about six months ago and she had never been told anything about her parents. Vivi also said the circus management did not give her, or the other children working at the circus, a formal education.

"Where did you get the children, including Vivi, and what is their legal status after having been members of the circus?" asked Djoko Sugiyanto.

Tony Sumampau, one of the circus directors and an official of the Safari Park, said some of the children were sent by their parents and some by social foundations.

"We don't adopt them. Their status is unclear," Tony said.

Tony also admitted the management no longer knew where Vivi's parents were.

"You have violated her rights to information about her origins. The legal status of the girl, Vivi, is not clear. She could have lost her citizenship," said Djoko.

Tony and Jansen Manangsang, another circus director, said Vivi's mother had taken her to Jansen's mother when she was five. She had been treated as one of Jansen's family, Tony said.

Djoko said the relationship between the circus and its employees had to be a business relationship. "You pay them, don't you. So for the circus workers there is an employer hiring them," Djoko said, responding to Tony's claim that the circus was one big family.

"Let's say some of the circus members go on strike. It will become clear that there is an employee employer relationship here," Djoko said.

Agreeing, Muladi said Indonesia had ratified the International Convention on the Rights of the Child. "Therefore, we all must protect our children and provide them with proper education. You should have helped the children get, at least, an elementary school diploma."

Providing them with private teachers was not enough, Muladi said.

Appreciated

Both Djoko and Muladi said, however, that the management's honesty was appreciated, as was their promise to treat the children better and to welcome Vivi, should she want to return to the circus.

Vivi, 21, also told Muladi and reporters she had been beaten often, locked up for days at a time and once given electric shocks for misbehavior.

"It's not that easy to prove torture. But please acknowledge that torture is not just physical. People can be mentally tortured. Vivi, her husband and the two friends they escaped with could have suffered mental torture," Muladi said.

Tony and Jansen said they would not defend themselves from the accusation. "Please just ask the circus trainers and other circus girls here," said Jansen.

Marni, a circus trainer who had been with the circus 27 years, said Vivi's claim of torture was illogical. "How could she be locked in a room for days. I trained the children everyday and I saw her join in."

Lastri, one of Vivi's friends who still works at the circus, said she had never seen anyone punished the way Vivi described. "Being scolded for misbehaving or making mistakes is common," she said.

Nanik, an 18-year-old acrobat who has been at the circus since she was only four, said she felt alright with the management's treatment. She said she got Rp 80,000 pocket money a month. "The circus feeds and clothes me," she said.

Nanik said she did not know her parents. "The circus management said my parents live in Central Java."

Jansen said the circus got her from a social foundation.

At the end of the meeting yesterday Muladi said a meeting on the 25th March between the circus management, Vivi and her husband, and the two other former circus employees would ease the tension.

"We just want to assure Vivi and her husband that everything will be alright and they should not worry about their security," said Muladi, who is rector of Diponegoro University, Semarang. (sur)