Violence at Little Aresha: Government Forms Task Force for Daycare Management

Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture Pratikno stated that the government will soon form a task force to prevent further violence against children in daycares following the exposure of the child abuse case at a daycare in the Special Region of Yogyakarta. “We will soon form a task force to follow up on this,” said Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture Pratikno after a ministerial-level meeting in Jakarta on Thursday. The task force will be responsible for establishing a single integrated data portal, which serves as a regulatory framework integrating existing ministerial regulations. In addition, the task force will oversee improvements in daycare management. During the ministerial-level meeting, several efforts were discussed to enhance the quality of services and daycare management. “We have discussed many things that need to be improved going forward, starting from standardisation, licensing, programme integration, integrated information systems, and so on, including on-site supervision, incentives and disincentives,” said Pratikno. He emphasised that the government offers no tolerance whatsoever for violence against children. “Of course, the government offers no tolerance whatsoever for violence against children. We are obliged to provide protection for children, to provide the best possible care and education,” said Pratikno. Meanwhile, in the development of handling the child abuse case at Little Aresha Daycare in Yogyakarta, the daycare has been closed and sealed. The Yogyakarta Police Resort has named 13 suspects in the case of child abuse and neglect at Little Aresha Daycare. Two of the 13 suspects are DK (51) as the foundation chair, and AP (42) as the school principal. The other eleven suspects are daycare caregivers. The ministerial-level meeting was attended by Chairman of the Indonesian Child Protection Commission (KPAI) Aris Adi Leksono, Minister for Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection Arifah Fauzi, Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin, and Deputy Minister of Social Affairs Agus Jabo Priyono.