Due To The High Divorce Rate In Aceh, KPPA Records Many Children Affected By Health And Involved In Drugs

Illustration-(Photo: DOK ANTARA)

ACEH - The Aceh Child Protection and Supervision Commission (KPPAA) stated that the protection and fulfillment of children's rights in Aceh has not been completed. There are still many problems ranging from the social sector, family to health.

"Aceh still has many problems in the field of protection and fulfillment of children's rights, which require supervision in its implementation," said KPPAA Deputy Chair Ayu Ningsih in Banda Aceh, Antara, Monday, January 24.

Based on the results of KPPAA's supervision of the fulfillment of children's civil rights, so far it has reached more than 85 percent who have obtained birth certificates and Child Identity Cards (KIA). However, for child-friendly information, until now there are no policies and regulations that regulate it.

"So there are still many children who fall into the wrong information and use of technology, which results in an increasing number of children who are victims or perpetrators of sexual violence," he said.

In addition, Ayu said, from the family cluster and alternative parenting, the high divorce rate in Aceh, which has reached more than 12,000 in the past two years, has caused children to have problems fighting over custody of their divorced parents.

As a result, Ayu continued, there was neglect of children's livelihood, not getting complete love from both parents, early marriage, falling into wrong/deviant relationships and becoming victims of narcotics and other illegal drug abuse.

"In fact, of the 1,280 civil child cases handled by the Aceh Sharia Court from 2018-2020, there were 1,152 cases involving child marriage dispensation applications," he said.

Not only that, Ayu added, alternative child care at other social institutions such as foundations/social institutions, is still experiencing various worrisome problems, such as the lack of perspective in caring for foster children placed in orphanages, to the lack of caregivers.

He said, the results of KPPAA's supervision in the health sector, showed that the stunting rate was still high for children in Aceh due to poor nutrition, wrong parenting that caused children's growth and development to be not optimal.

Ayu said that nationally, Aceh was ranked third in stunting, which for several years has not brought about a significant change in overall efforts to eradicate stunting.

"Aceh's stunting data shows 11,020 cases in 2019, 21,415 cases in 2020, and 33,017 cases in 2021," he said.

He conveyed, based on the supervision of special protection for children, it still requires serious attention from the government. Even though Indonesia already has a Protection Act.

However, the law does not apply in Aceh because of the qanun (regional regulation) regarding Aceh's Jinayat Law which is being evaluated due to not providing a sense of justice for children who have been victims of sexual violence in its implementation so far.

"The number of cases of violence against children is increasing in number with increasingly concerning motives and beyond human understanding. Therefore, the presence of the government is urgently needed," said Ayu.