Erwida Maulia, Jakarta – The government has been urged to make a "breakthrough" in its children- and health-related programs, with Indonesia's infant mortality rate currently among the highest in Southeast Asia.
A breakthrough was needed to help the country achieve its Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which would see infant mortality rates drop to 17 infant deaths per 1,000 births, by 2015, Indonesian Child Protection Commission (KPAI) chairman Hadi Supeno said.
The existing programs were not enough to for Indonesia to meet the target, with current figures standing at 34 infant deaths per 1,000 births, he said. Indonesia's infant mortality rate was far higher than other countries in the region including the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam with 7, 12 and 18 deaths per 1,000 births, respectively.
"Without a breakthrough, perhaps we can only reduce the number to 29 deaths per 1,000 births," Hadi told a press conference on Friday.
The current mortality rate means that 160,000 infants die out of between 4 and 5 million births in Indonesia every year, he said. "That is the same as 15,000 dead infants per month, or one infant death every three minutes. The devastation caused by the West Sumatra quake and other disasters are nothing compared to this."
With mothers' health often serving as a contributing factor in the deaths, the government may have to launch programs campaigning for an end to early marriages, because younger mothers are more likely to have unhealthier babies, Hadi said.
To ensure sufficient nutrition for infants, Hadi also suggested massive campaigns on early breast-feeding initiation shortly after births, and exclusive breast-feeding for infants six months old and younger.
"And every institution and office must provide a special room for working mothers to breast-feed babies during work hours," Hadi said.
Many Indonesian children were denied their civil rights, with only 49 percent of more than 80 million Indonesia children having birth certificates, Hadi said.
He put the blame on regional administrations, with only 200 of almost 500 Indonesian regencies and municipalities providing birth certificate applications free of charge, despite a ruling in the 2002 Law on Child Protection that obliges them to provide the service at no cost. "Most regions still impose fees for birth certificate applications," Hadi said.
The government had also failed to provide special protection for children, he said, referring to the high number of troubled children. There are around 2.5 million abandoned children in Indonesia, 150,000 of whom live on the streets, Hadi said.
Around 25 million children are active smokers, 350,000 are drug users, 60,000 become prostitutes, and 30,000 are victims of trafficking. Indonesia currently has around 80 million children, i.e. those under the age of 18.
The KPAI, in collaboration with several regional administrations, plans to organize campaigns on the protection of children's rights in Indonesia, from Oct. 16-18, to coincide with the "Stand Up and Take Action Campaign to End Poverty and Achieve the MDGs" called for by the UN.
Up to 12 million Indonesians are expected to take part in the child rights-themed campaigns that will take place in (among others) Jakarta, Tangerang, Bekasi and several towns in Central Java.