Jakarta (ANTARA) – The Indonesian Child Protection Commission (KPAI) has urged the government to optimize the fulfillment of the rights of children with Down Syndrome by implementing existing and inclusive policies at the lowest level of government — the village.”It is how these policies can be implemented to the lowest level of government, namely the village administration. The problem is there,” KPAI member Diyah Puspitarini said here on Saturday. ccording to her, the fulfillment of the rights of children with Down Syndrome is not only KPAI’s responsibility, which focuses on children, but also the National Commission on Disability, which oversees policy implementation. “All parties must be aware and proactive to supervise,” she said, adding that complaints and case reports have been received by KPAI regarding the rights of children with Down Syndrome being violated or not being fulfilled. In 2022, KPAI received 123 complaints related to the non-fulfillment of the rights of children with disabilities, including children with Down Syndrome. That is the tip of the iceberg with many incidents being unreported, Puspitarini said. Children with Down Syndrome are very vulnerable to physical, psychological, and sexual violence, she added. Therefore, KPAI is pushing for the fulfillment of the rights of children with Down Syndrome, such as their civil rights and rights to participate in politics as well as legal protection. They should be trained in social interaction skills and in becoming economically independent, she stressed. In terms of education and health, Puspitarini said that children with Down Syndrome are entitled to priority access, inclusive and special schools, universities, access to religious education, sexual and reproductive health education, and health services. No less important, she said, they must receive good care from their parents. Society must accept the existence of children with Down Syndrome in their environment and consider them no different from other children, she added.

Source: Antara News Agency (ANA)