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[22 December 2010] - The year 2010 saw no drop in the incidents of violations of children’s rights, including child trafficking, child labor, child abuse and drug use among children, the National Commission for Child Protection said. The commission said there were 405 cases of child trafficking — most of sold into prostitution — and 2,335 reports of child abuse. This was an increase on the 1,998 cases reported in 2009. Of the reports filed with the commission, 62.7 percent were for sexual abuse, such as rape, harassment and incest. Further investigations showed that the perpetrators were people close to the children, such as parents, uncles, teachers, foster parents or stepparents. The commission said there were 240,000 street children in 12 major cities in Indonesia. Between 2009 and 2010, the commission said it received 824 reports of abandoned newborn babies, 68 percent of whom were found dead in garbage bins, rivers, sewers, bus terminals or even public cemeteries. Commission secretary-general Arist Merdeka Sirait said that since many incidents of child abuse were perpetrated by close acquaintances, civil society should take action. He said local administrations should draft regulations on child protection. “Regulations should be made at the municipal or regental level so people adhere to them. We should also involve neighborhood unit heads in making the regulations to encourages a child-friendly atmosphere,” Arist said. Apart from incidents of violence, children are also prone to HIV/AIDS. In September 2009, the Social Services Ministry said 464 children under the age of 15 lived with HIV/AIDS. They contracted the virus through mother-to-child transmission and through intravenous drug use. Another phenomenon the commission found this year was incidents of child smokers. Indonesia is the world’s third-largest consumer of cigarettes. However, smoking is not limited to adults, as more children take up the habit. In 2010, the commission identified found five cases of toddlers addicted to smoking, some boasting a 40-cigarette-a-day habit. Commission chairman Seto Mul-yadi said the phenomenon caught the world’s attention as he had received questions about the issue from media across the globe. “We only identified five cases, but we believe there are many cases of babies smoking. They’re just not publicized,” he said. Seto added that he hoped the government would quickly ratify the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC). “Children easily imitate, and this is dangerous given that cigarette advertisements show that smoking is cool. Indonesia’s ratification of the FCTC has dragged on for almost 10 years,” he said. Seto said the rising number of incidents of children’s rights violations hinted at another phenomenon. “The incidents aren’t becoming more frequent. What’s actually happening is that people are becoming more aware and reporting more,” he said. Arist said that when people decided to report a case to his commission, it already was part of the success because it meant people gained awareness on children rights protection. Further Information:
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