From left to right: UNICEF Indonesia
Representative Gunilla Olsson, the Mayor of Surakarta Hadi ‘Rudy’
Rudyatmo and the UN Special Representative of the Secretary General Marta
Santos Pais Photo ©UNICEF Indonesia/Kinanti Pinta Karana
Surakarta in central Java, earns a lot of
praise for its commitment to put children at the centre of its policies. The
city has been in a partnership with UNICEF since 2002 to improve child
protection, with birth registration as a priority. In 2015, Surakarta received
the Child Friendly City Award from President Joko Widodo, the city’s former mayor.
In the last days of February, the UN Special Representative to the Secretary
General (SRSG) for Violence against Children, Marta Santos Pais paid the city a
visit along with several UNICEF staff including Representative Gunilla Olsson,
to see how things are being done.
Surakarta’s journey to become a
child-friendly city began in 2006. The local government started by providing
the basics such as building lactation rooms in public places, establishing
cigarette-free zones and installing children’s playgrounds at public health
centres (Puskesmas). Nowadays, Surakarta
can also boast its integrated child welfare service which includes online birth
registration and access to
various public services by using the newly introduced children’s identity card
(KIA). Surakarta
administration has also partnered with local businesses to enable card holders
to get discounts at bookshops or restaurants.
“I
am very impressed with the extraordinary work Surakarta has done since the days
of Joko Widodo,” Santos Pais told Hadi ‘Rudy’ Rudyatmo, the current Mayor of
Surakarta. “Thank you, Pak Rudy, for making prevention of violence against
children a priority programme in Surakarta! I have a dream Surakarta will have
a stronger budget allocation for child protection,” she added.
From left to right: Deputy for Women and
Child Protection of the Coordinating Ministry for Human Development and Culture
Sujatmiko, UNICEF Indonesia’s Chief of Child Protection Amanda Bissex, UNICEF
Indonesia Representative Gunilla Olsson, UNICEF Indonesia Child Protection
Specialist Ali Aulia Ramly and SRSG Marta Santos Pais during a visit to Taman
Cerdas
Photo ©UNICEF Indonesia/Kinanti Pinta Karana
“The
Government, especially the Coordinating Ministry for Human Development and
Culture, is encouraging all cities to be child-friendly cities with service
developments such as child-friendly schools, child-friendly hospitals and other
models.” Said Sujatmiko, the Deputy for Women and Child Protection at the
Ministry who joined the SRSG on the visit.
After meeting with the mayor, the
delegation visited the Office of Civil Registration, located within the same
compound as the mayor’s office. “Birth registration is a passport for children
to access the necessary services for their wellbeing, so thank you for
providing a comprehensive service,” Santos Pais said. “The integrated service
is a good example and every child has to be registered. What you do today will
make a huge difference for
the tomorrow of your world,” she added. The Surakarta
Administration also provides mobile service for birth registration during Car
Free Day every Sunday.
The city is indeed doing some very
positive work in protecting children from all sorts of issues, but there are
still challenges faced. For example one local civil society organization (CSO),
Yayasan Lentera is looking after 11 children who are living with HIV/AIDs and
the CSO finds it quite a struggle at times. The delegation met with the
organization’s staff, including Puger Mulyono, the original founder, who
explained they often had to relocate from place to place because locals
rejected their presence. The SRSG praised them for their “extraordinary hearts
for affection and home to the extraordinary children”, and expressed her hopes
that the children could live a healthy life and reach their dreams.
Group photo with the officers at the Integrated Children Welfare Service Centre.
Photo ©UNICEF Indonesia/Kinanti Pinta Karana
While in the city, Santos Pais and
colleagues also had the opportunity to see how Surakarta also works with
children in conflict with the law. The SRSG met the Head of Surakarta Detention
Centre and the Director for Community Supervision of the Ministry of Law and
Human Rights. They discussed the challenges in the implementation of juvenile
justice law, including facilities, community acceptance of children who come
into contact with the law, cases
of children arrested as drug traffickers and also child drug users. The SRSG
met with two teenage boys living in the detention centre, but who are focusing
on arts and crafts activities as part of their rehabilitation, supported by CSO
Sahabat KAPAS. One boy drew photos of his favourite football player and made
comics. When asked about their plans in the future, both of them said all they
ever wanted was to go back to school.
A group of youth from Surakarta’s Children
Forum greeted Santos Pais and colleagues when they arrived at the iconic Taman
Cerdas (Smart Park), a playground where children can have fun and learn new
skills, from playing musical instruments to doing radio broadcasts. She
listened as the children asked her questions about the challenges they face
growing up. “Talk to a teacher, talk to parents because pain is best when it is
shared,” she said in response to a question about how to help a friend who
becomes a bullying victim. Santos Pais
restated her advice when she visited the Konata Radio Station and was
interviewed by its young radio anchors. In her broadcast, she highlighted how
young people can be involved in the prevention of violence against children.
At the end of her visit, SRSG Marta Santos
Pais said Surakarta can gain international recognition for all its good work. It
was a very moving compliment for the Mayor of Surakarta and his administration.
“In Surakarta, we do not only protect children but we fulfil their rights. For
me, a child-friendly city is simply a place where children feel they belong and
where they can live happily with their family,” Rudy said.
