This Is The Bad Impact Of Children Who Burn Schools Presented By The Temanggung Police During A Press Conference

Illustration (Unsplash)

JAKARTA - Child and education observer Retno Listyarti criticized the Temanggung Police for presenting the child who burned the school at a press conference in the case.

In fact, the child of the perpetrator, with the initials R, was guarded by a policeman who was holding a long-barreled weapon next to him. Retno emphasized that the treatment of the Temanggung Police could have a bad impact on R's future.

"The excessive abuse of the police could have an impact on Ananda R's future mass, such as the loss of the right to continue education because after the news, R's son is no longer accepted by the school because he is considered to be defaming the school and as a dangerous criminal," Retno said in his statement, Sunday, July 2.

Even if R's child has undergone a legal process later, he also has the potential to have difficulty finding a school that he wants to continue his education. In fact, according to Retno, R's child has the right to receive education even as a criminal, because he is still a minor.

"Child R also has the right to continue his future even though he has been convicted. It is all guaranteed in the Child Protection Law," he said.

From this action, Retno views the Temanggung Police as violating the Juvenile Criminal Justice System (SPPA) and the Child Protection Law.

"I strongly suspect that the police do not understand Law Number 11 of 2012 concerning SPPA and do not understand children's rights convention, especially regarding the best principle of interest for children. What the police have the strong potential to violate the SPPA Law and the Child Protection Law," said Retno.

Article 19 paragraph (1) of the SPPA Law states that the identity of children, children of victims, and/or children of witnesses must be kept secret in reporting in print or electronic media.

The former commissioner of the Indonesian Child Protection Commission (KPAI) is of the view, even though R's child has committed a criminal act of vandalism, he, who is still 13 years old, should not need to be shown in a press conference.

"Showing R's child in a press conference even if you use a face covering, you have the potential to be strong in revealing your child's identity. Television, print, and electronic media can certainly display R's child's physical appearance and will definitely zoom in on the closed part of the face, meaning that the police actually facilitate the media in violating Article 19 of the SPPA Law," he explained.