Vice President: Children Must Be Guaranteed Their Rights To Grow, Free From Violence

JAKARTA - Vice President Ma'ruf Amin said children are the most valuable national assets whose rights must be guaranteed to grow and be free from violence and discrimination.

"Ordered for child protection must get common attention. Children are the most valuable assets of the nation," said the Vice President in his remarks online at the 2023 Indonesian Child Protection Commission (KPAI) Award event in Jakarta as reported by ANTARA, Thursday, July 20.

The Vice President said that in Indonesia the Child Protection Law is a form of state presence and guarantee for children's human rights to grow and develop and be free from violence and discrimination.

However, said the Vice President, currently there are still problems that must be resolved, especially regarding complaint data that needs to be handled immediately. According to him, it is very concerning if the family environment and alternative care actually have the highest level of complaint.

"Therefore, we must ensure that family and alternative care become a safe and comfortable environment for children's growth and development. Likewise, the world of education and schools should be a place that supports the academic learning process as well as the social development of children's character and talent," he explained.

The Vice President emphasized other things that should be of common concern, namely the results of research by the World Health Organization (WHO) and theUnited Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (Unicef) in 2020 which reported the development index of children around the world, where Indonesia is ranked 17th out of 180 countries, and lag behind Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam and Thailand.

He conveyed that the index measures children's health and well-being in various indicators, such as child growth, survival, school year, prevalence of violence, child growth and nutrition.

Hal ini berarti bahwa keluarga sebagai miniwa dari masyarakat dan bangsa, dalam pemeliharaan anak belum sesuai yang kita harapkan. Ketercapatan ini harus dikejar melalui penguatan komitmen sinergi dan kolaborasi semua elemen bangsa utamanya untuk memastikan pemenuhan hak dan perlindungan anak-anak Indonesia, tuturnya.

The vice president also asked KPAI to strengthen roles in various child protection efforts such as handling stunting, sexual harassment, violence and early marriage, including legal advocacy and victim recovery.

In addition, KPAI is asked to increase public awareness about children's rights and optimize various digital channels to intensify public campaigns, including prevention of cyber bullying.

Then the Vice President also asked KPAI to encourage the involvement and role of parents, including in reporting cases and protecting children from sexual harassment, violence or discrimination.

The Vice President hopes that the 2023 KPAI Award activities can evaluate and measure the progress of child protection in Indonesia as well as inspire and invite all elements of the nation to be more active and concerned with child protection efforts.