Dear SBY, many kids are suffering in your country

The Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Thu, 07/23/2009 2:29 PM | Headlines

Indonesia is celebrating its very own Children's Day today - a day commonly associated with games, bright colors and laughter.

However, for some children, life is far from being rosy or filled with f*tes and fairs. Some of them are even forced to beseech the nation's top man to help them in their struggle to obtain justice.

"The children arrested for allegedly gambling at the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport will send letters to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono tomorrow," Dhoho A. Sastro, a director at the Community Legal Aid Center (LBHM) said Wednesday.

Back in May, the airport police arrested 10 children who were tossing coins in the airport to make ends meet and supplement their family incomes, on top of shoe-shining for a living after school.

Those children were then kept in a penitentiary center for almost a month after being roughly treated by the police. They are currently on trial and may be punishable with a prison sentence of up to five years.

"The trial process traumatizes them. They cried in court and their parents seldom accompanied them during the hearings because the families couldn't afford the transportation costs," Dhoho said.

He added the last trial forced them to miss a school day. The arrest already deprived them of one year of education because they missed the national examinations when confined in the penitentiary.

Christine Tambunan, the children's solicitor, said they sent a letter to Yudhoyono to remind the President that on Children's Day, many minors still suffered.

"In their letter, they describe the hard times they're going through," Christine said, "We hope SBY will take notice of this matter."

In 2002, legislators passed the children's protection law, which rules that children are entitled to educational and legal rights.

"However, the government has not taken into account the trauma suffered by children struggling to obtain justice," Dhoho said.

When it comes to dealing with children, the country's legal system often overlooks their rights, he said.

He gave the example of GA, a 14-year-old girl who was raped by a middle-aged man in Central Jakarta a few months ago, and fell pregnant as a result.

"We helped her parents track down the culprit and got as far as taking him to the Jakarta Police headquarters, but they *the police* released him overnight, stating there was not enough evidence," said Dhoho. (dis)