Children's Future Are Important, Protect Them From Violence

Children must be protected from all acts of violence. (Photo: Unsplash)

JAKARTA - The public was shocked by the news of a mother in Tonjong District, Brebes Regency who had the heart to commit violence against her three children with sharp weapons on Sunday, March 20. One in three children who are abused even die at the hands of their own birth mother.

Previously, cases of violence against two toddlers aged 1.5 and 3 years by their two caregivers also occurred in Cengkareng, West Jakarta, on March 17. In Koja, North Jakarta on February 3, a man was suspected of raping his 4-year-old stepson. And many more cases of violence against children.

Why do children always have to be victims of violence? Children are the foundation and hope of parents who must be protected and given love by the people around them. However, children often experience physical, sexual, emotional abuse, or neglect of the child. More concerning, perpetrators of violence against children are usually people who have close relationships with the child such as family members, teachers, or friends.

Violence against children can be defined as behavior that is intentional or not, which is intended to injure or damage children physically or mentally. This is very ironic, but there must be a solution. Proper coordination is needed in the environment around children, especially the family environment, to educate children without using violence.

The poster contains a call to stop violence against children. (Photo: Pixabay)

The Save Children Foundation said as many as one in five parents parenting their children negatively. The negative attitude starts from being rude, like shouting, to being aggressive in giving physical punishment.

Data from the Online Information System for the Protection of Women and Children (Simphony PPA) from January 1 to May 17 2020 shows that the number of violence against children reported by various services to the Ministry of PPPA reached 2,191 cases. The number of victims reached 2,400 children and victims of domestic violence (KDRT) as many as 554 children.

In the discussion on the webinar "Community-Based Child Protection during the Covid-19 Pandemic" held by Child Fund International Indonesia, he stated that access to reporting cases of violence against children was limited. The presence of the perpetrator who may be near the victim or dependent on the perpetrator, so that there is no alternative for the victim other than not reporting the case experienced.

Increased Cases During the COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has not only had a negative impact on the economy, but also on people's mental health. The psychological pressure experienced by people affected by COVID-19 has resulted in an increase in cases of violence against women and children. The declining economic conditions of the family and the activities of children and parents who are more at home often make children vulnerable to violence.

Minister of Women's Empowerment and Child Protection (PPPA) I Gusti Ayu Bintang Darmawati in a virtual press conference revealed that since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic on March 2-25 April 2020 there were 643 cases of violence against women and children with a number of victims reaching 684 people.

Currently, the number of violence against children is difficult to predict. However, with the crisis situation along with various psychological pressures and economic impacts, the potential for violence in families during a pandemic is very large.

Not only women, girls, and boys aged 3-17 years also experience violence in various forms. Over the past 12 months, 3 out of 10 girls and 2 out of 10 boys experienced one or more types of violence. Violence against children has an impact on the psychological growth of children because they experience severe trauma, physical injury, and even death.

The mural contains a call to stop violence against women and children. (Photo: Twitter)

The National Commission for Child Protection (Komas PA) noted that in 2021 DKI Jakarta will be the city with the most cases of violence against children. As many as 667 cases of violence against children occurred in the DKI Jakarta area. East Jakarta has the most violence against children with 239 cases. As many as 58 percent of cases of violation of children's rights are sexual violence.

Children are vulnerable to become objects of violence because they have a weak psyche in the sense that when they experience violence they do not know who to seek help from.

Physically weak, psychologically weak make children potential victims. Indonesia is in a state of concern for violence against children. We can see the positive side of the frequent viral videos of child abuse and get angry responses from the community. It shows that the community still has concerns about cases of child abuse.

It is hoped that the whole community will provide protection to children in their environment. Families who are facing problems, especially psychological problems, are asked not to hesitate to access psychological services provided by the government. This must be done so that children are not affected and become victims of violence.