In Law Number 35 of 2014 on Child Protection, the involvement of children in the realm of politics is already clearly regulated in Article 15, which states that every child has the right to be protected from abuse in practical political activities, both in general elections and other political activities.
Nevertheless, children also have the right to participate and voice their ideas and opinions for the development of Indonesia through specific channels without being involved in adult-led political campaigns.
According to Save the Children Indonesia's Media and Brand Manager Dewi Sri Sumanah, children should not be involved in practical politics for the simple reason that they are a vulnerable group and still require guidance and support from adults, particularly their parents, to fulfill their rights both on a personal level and as citizens of a nation.
"So, in the context of practical politics, whether it's the President, the Legislature, or Regional Heads, or political parties interested in hearing the voices, facts, and conditions that affect children can be addressed through the existing children's forums in Indonesia based on the applicable laws," explained Dewi to RMOLJabar News Agency on Wednesday (5/23).
According to Dewi, the Minister of Women's Empowerment and Child Protection regulation regarding children's forums already exist and are in effect. In it, she said, its formation had been clearly regulated, starting from the National, Provincial to district/city and village levels which each year always voice ideas and facts about the problems they face on behalf of children in their area.
"Certainly, we are not encouraging children to engage in campaigning. That is the first point. Secondly, we aim to create a broad platform and hope for continuous efforts in fulfilling the rights of children. This should be done by all parties, including the vision and mission of legislative candidates, presidential candidates and regional head candidates, in order to bring positive impacts to the children of Indonesia,” she explained. []
SYAMSUL ARIFIN
This article originally published by rmoljabar.id on 24 May, 2023, with the support of the RESPECT Program hosted by Perludem.
