The Minister Of Social Affairs Will Letter A Companion To Guard Social Assistance Not Used For Online Gambling

Social Minister Saifullah Yusuf/ANTARA

JAKARTA - Minister of Social Affairs (Mensos) Saifullah Yusuf said that he would provide letters to assistants and extensions of social programs to oversee the distribution of social assistance (bansos) so as not to be used for online gambling.

"God willing, we will convey it (to social assistants), so I also want to make an appeal (so that social assistance is not used for gambling), we will also send a letter, later we will try it through the assistants," said Saifullah as quoted by ANTARA, Friday, November 22.

The Minister of Social Affairs emphasized that the distribution of social assistance and the Family Hope Program (PKH) is currently entering the last quarter, and he hopes that the assistance can be used according to its designation.

"Our assistance is conditional, so it is assisted but for baby intake, then assisted for school, for food, so there is a designation. So, I ask the recipients of social assistance and recipients of PKH, or beneficiary families (KPM) to really make the best use of this for their designation, not to be used for gambling," said Gus Ipul.

He explained that currently the Ministry of Social Affairs does not yet have a rehabilitation program for children involved in online gambling, and is still focused on dealing with abandoned children or dealing with the law.

"We haven't thought about it yet (the rehabilitation of children involved in gambling), we are still focused on abandoned children, children who are in conflict with the law, abandoned babies, they are all in our duties," he said.

Previously, the Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs (Kemkomdigi) asked parents to be aware of the gimonline played by their children through gadgets as a step to prevent the baby's potential exposure to gambling.

"A Gym that seems harmless can easily infiltrate gambling content, which in turn can damage children's mental and emotional developments," said Plt. Director of Information Application Control (PAI) of the Ministry of Communication and Trade Syofian Kurniawan.

The request reflects on the facts found by PPATK, more than 80,000 children under the age of 10 were recorded to have been exposed to gambling through various games or games from applications on devices.