Case Of Death Of 132 Jakarta Junior High School Student, KPAI Asks Children's Witnesses To Be Accompanied

The location of the death of class IX students at SMP Negeri 132, Cengkareng, West Jakarta, which fell from the fourth floor of the school building, Monday (9/10/2023). ANTARA/Risky Syukur

JAKARTA - The Indonesian Child Protection Commission (KPAI) has asked the DKI Jakarta Women's Empowerment and Child Protection Technical Implementation Unit (UPT PPPA) to provide assistance in examining child witnesses in the case of the death of 132 Cengkareng Junior High School (SMP) student, West Jakarta (Jakbar). "We need assistance because witness children have anxiety, have concerns, even fear because this is a situation that may be beyond the children's minds at that time," said KPAI Chairman Ai Maryati Solihah in Jakarta, Wednesday, October 11, quoted by Antara. Maryati said the police had also supported the child witness assistance effort. "The police have also given full attention including steps in accordance with applicable regulations on how to obtain information and also protection and assistance to child witnesses," he said. He said that examining child witnesses would be a concern for KPAI because it was not easy for children to witness the incident of their own friends who died in front of their eyes. "This will be the concern of KPAI, we will monitor it to provide special treatment because of course it is not easy for children to provide information," he said.

He emphasized that the child witnesses in the case consisted of three people who were all protected by the police. "Three witnesses were protected by the police with child-friendly treatment, such as a short time (when taking information) and no child's identity should come out," he said. The police are examining five witnesses related to the death of a 132 Cengkareng junior high school student. Kapolsek Cengkareng, Kompol Hasoloan Situmorang said the five witnesses consisted of three students, one teacher, and one local resident.