Wants To Accompany Children After Prison Term, Yogyakarta City Government: Many Children Come From Broken Home Families

Illustration of a prisoner freed from prison. (Antara)

YOGYAKARTA - The City Government (Pemkot) of Yogyakarta is trying to get involved in assisting children who are in conflict with the law to return to their families and environment after completing coaching at the Special Child Development Institute (LPKA).

"So far, we don't know how many children have left Child Correctional Institution (LPKA) or Correction Bureau. We hope that there will be some kind of coordination so that we can also help provide assistance," said Head of the Office of Community Empowerment, Child Protection, Population Control, and Family Planning, Yogyakarta City, Edy Muhammad in Yogyakarta, Wednesday, July 13th.

According to him, children need assistance to be better prepared to return to their family and social environment after undergoing coaching according to legal decisions.

"Usually, after leaving LPKA, the child is immediately returned to the family. Sometimes, there are certain cases that cause the child to not receive protection," he said, according to Antara.

The reason why children do not receive protection after undergoing coaching at LKPA is the negative stigma from their families and the surrounding environment so that children are ostracized or rejected by their families to live with them.

"Therefore, we hope to be able to provide assistance. Of course, the main basis is the availability of data for children who have completed their coaching period at LPKA," he said.

However, he continued, children who are involved and in conflict with the law, especially criminals, are influenced by their families for their actions.

"Many children are in conflict with the law who come from broken homes. Therefore, we want to provide assistance," he added.

To realize this plan, the Yogyakarta City Government cooperates with a number of independent institutions that have a concern for child protection, such as the Indonesian Child Protection Commission (KPAI) of Yogyakarta City.

"This collaboration with KPAI will accelerate the realization of the plan, such as the realization of the Child Friendly Police Program in Yogyakarta," he said.

These efforts are expected to support Yogyakarta's efforts to become a true Child-friendly City. "Children must have rights and protection," said Edy.