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)