Yogyakarta street children to get aid

Yogyakarta street children to get aid

JAKARTA (JP): At least 500 girls living on the streets of
Yogyakarta will soon receive a total of US$1 million in
assistance from the Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction of the Asian
Development Bank (ADB).

Kus Hardjanti, the project manager, said at a media briefing
here on Wednesday that the money would be used to finance health
services for the victims of sexual abuse and child prostitution.

Yogyakarta-based nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) will
implement the programs, including the management and the
distribution of the money, she said, adding that the 11 NGOs in
charge would receive between Rp 100 million and Rp 200 million
each.

"We hope that with the money we will be able to help at least
500 girls living on the streets of Yogyakarta with counseling and
medical services," she said.

Kiki Erwanto, chairman of the Humana Foundation and also the
coordinator of the 11 NGOs dealing with street children in
Yogyakarta, said the number of girls on the streets of Yogyakarta
had been increasing from year to year.

"Before the crisis in 1997, there were at least 920 street
children, 10 percent of whom were girls. In July this year, we
found a total of 1,600 street children, 25 percent of whom were
girls, meaning that there were some 400 girls on the streets in
July," Kiki said. "Almost all of them have been the victims of
sexual abuse and child prostitution."

According to Hardjanti, a survey conducted last year in 12
cities in Indonesia indicated that 20 percent of an estimated
170,000 street children were girls.

Jan P.M. van Heeswijk, ADB's newly appointed director, told
journalists at the media briefing that the project was aimed at
helping the government of Indonesia deal with poverty during the
crisis, especially the problem of girls living on the streets.
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