Jakarta (ANTARA) – The Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection Ministry strives to prevent violence at the grassroots level by involving children as reporters and pioneers through the Child Forum.
“The ministry synergizes with regions to create a platform for children to voice and express their thoughts through the Child Forum,” the Ministry’s Child Rights Fulfillment Deputy, Agustina Erni, noted in a press statement on Wednesday.
This is since child victims in cases of violence may be unaware of the fact that they have the right to express an objection to the actions of adults, Erni expounded.
This includes adults that may have been their role model and have been with them in their day-to-day lives.
“To this end, the Child Forum is expected to become a platform for children to speak out,” she remarked.
The Child Forum is being developed in stages, starting from the national, provincial, district or city, to sub-district levels, all the way to the village levels.
Through the Child Forum, children can serve as reporters and pioneers in preventing various cases, including those of child violence.
As a pioneer, the Child Forum conducts activities, such as the dissemination of information to fellow children and campaigns related to violence prevention.
The Child Forum is also involved in service and assistance activities while also conducting consultation to provide knowledge and understanding of violence to friends of the same age.
The children’s role as reporters is demonstrated by delivering information that relates to cases of violence and others that occur around them to people whom they trust, such as parents, facilitators, or teachers.
Erni cited as an example the role of the Regional Child Forum in broadening the scope for children to voice their complaints.
This is being achieved through efforts, including development of the Child Friendly Chat (CASA), as a platform for children to submit a complain, and a counselor of the same age will then tend to their grievances.
Source: Antara News