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[JAKARTA, 21 January 2010] – Plans to round up and physically examine children living on Jakarta's streets for evidence of sexual abuse constitute a serious violation of their rights, say child rights advocates. The Jakarta city administration announced this week it would support the police initiative following the arrest of a man accused of sexually abusing and murdering at least 10 male street children. Budi Hardjo, head of the city’s Social Affairs Agency, said the city administration would today begin a sweep of all five municipalities in Jakarta. He said children identified by the city administration would be interviewed and undergo a health examination before being sent to shelters, ostensibly for their own protection and to receive education. Arist Merdeka Sirait, Secretary General of the National Commission for Child Protection (Komnas Anak) voiced strong objections to the initiative, saying it dehumanises these children and violates their rights. “Street children are people, and under the constitution their rights are protected by the State. They’re neither criminals nor animals.” Furthermore, forcibly removing children from the streets and placing them in shelters was a move to doomed to failure, he added. Arist demanded a halt to the raids, urging the government to base interventions on communication which take into account the children's views. “They are not mere objects of some government programme,” he said. If the city goes ahead with its plans, Komnas Anak will file a class action legal suit against the city to stop the sweeps, he said. According to official records, 4,023 street children are registered with Jakarta's Social Affairs Agency, though the real figure is thought to be much higher. Further information