RI's records on child rights below average
RI's records on child rights below average
JAKARTA (JP): A United Nations report yesterday ranked
Indonesia's record on the rights of children and female
adolescents as below average for the East/South Asia and Pacific
region.
The Progress of Nations annual report issued by the United
Nations Children's Fund (Unicef) this year focuses on the success
of states in registering each child at birth, immunizing infants
against six major diseases, and helping adolescents --
particularly girls -- in their development towards adulthood.
On birth registration, Indonesia was ranked number 13 among 23
countries in the region. It was placed behind countries like
Australia, China, Malaysia, Mongolia, Sri Lanka, Thailand,
Pakistan and the Philippines.
Among those ranked below Indonesia were India, Myanmar,
Bangladesh, Papua New Guinea and Cambodia.
The report gave Indonesia's child birth registration a rating
of three. A rating of one is the best and five is the worst.
Unicef representative to Indonesia Stephen J. Woodhouse, in a
statement read by Unicef Program Coordinator Yoshiteru Uramoto at
the launching of the report here yesterday, said no more than 60
percent of children in Indonesia have a birth certificate.
Most of those who have birth certificates were born in urban
areas.
A birth certificate is required to get an official identity
card in Indonesia, to enroll a child in school, to obtain a
passport and in some cases to get a job.
"Therefore, a child without a birth certificate, if the rules
are strictly applied, could face discrimination and be
marginalized and robbed of the opportunities to obtain an
official name and nationality and the services that the country
and the society can offer," Stephen said in his written
statement.
On teen births, the report ranked Indonesia at number 17 --
above Bhutan, Nepal, Pakistan, India and Bangladesh.
It said that every year there was an average of 58,000 babies
born to mothers aged between 15 and 19 years old.
The regional average is 56,000.
Bangladesh had the worst record with 115,000 babies born to
adolescent mothers every year.
"We are all aware of the potential of our adolescents and the
importance of helping them face the challenges that lie ahead.
How we treat them will determine their development toward
adulthood.
"For adolescent girls specifically, safe motherhood -- and
therefore healthy children -- will depend on how well they are
prepared for this function," Stephen said.
One glittering mark was Indonesia's success on immunization.
Two decades ago, only five percent of all children were
immunized against the six major childhood diseases -- measles,
tetanus, tuberculosis, pertussis or whooping cough, diphtheria
and polio -- today 80 percent are immunized.
Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare and Poverty
Eradication Haryono Suyono, who attended the local launching of
the report, conceded that the nation had a lot of work to do to
improve people's welfare.
"Indonesia's record is below the international average, even
lower than countries that we think are less developed than
ourselves. The areas in which we are above average are just
exceptions," he remarked.
Also present yesterday were Minister of Social Services
Justika Baharsjah and State Minister of Women's Roles Tutty
Alawiyah. (aan)