PPPA Minister Angry Children In Bima Be Made Horse Racing Jockeys

Puspayoga Star Child/Photo: Antara

JAKARTA - The Minister of Women's Empowerment and Child Protection Bintang Puspayoga asked the use of child jockeys in the horse racing tradition in Bima, West Nusa Tenggara, to be stopped because it is very dangerous for children. exploitation of children. I encourage the NTB Provincial Government, Bima Regional Government, horse owners, trainers, the surrounding community and parents of young jockeys to prevent the exploitation of child labor in the horse racing tradition," said the PPPA Minister in a press release in Jakarta, Tuesday, March 15. This was conveyed by Minister Bintang following the death of a 6-year-old child jockey in Bima, NTB, after falling from the back of the horse he was riding during training on March 9, 2022. The PPPA Minister deeply regrets the use of child jockeys in activities that are very dangerous to life safety. traditional horse racing arena in Panda Village, Woha District, Bima. The victim suffered severe head injuries as a result of falling from the back of the horse he was riding. This is not the first time this has happened. Previously, there were jockeys who died in 2019, even some other little jockeys were injured and disabled. The use of little jockeys is often done because it has become a tradition in Bima. The use of jockeys for children aged 6-18 years in Bima has become a tradition because the weight of child jockeys is far lighter than the body weight of an adult jockey, thereby reducing the weight of the load carried by the racehorse and making the racehorse run faster.

"The problems that have been mentioned are not only about traditional issues, but also regarding the content of article 32 in the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) which states that children must be protected from economic and sexual exploitation and all forms of work that are harmful or affect education or It has a negative impact on children's health development, both physically, mentally, spiritually, morally and socially," said Bintang. His party also encourages child protection NGOs, the Indonesian Equestrian Sports Association (PORDASI), religious leaders, culturalists and academics to be able to educate the public about aspects of child protection, legal policy instruments related to child protection, the worst forms of child labor, links to economic exploitation of children as well as mapping the problem of child exploitation in the development of children's interests and talents. does not involve children, which relates to with sports, culture and arts that are harmful to children's safety, it is necessary to regulate licensing, standardization, procedures and sanctions for violators to prevent similar cases from occurring. ensure that children up to 18 years of age are not involved as jockeys," said Minister Bintang.