The foster parent program for neglected children has been, regrettably, less popular than the trend of adoption of spirit dolls in Indonesia, the National Child Protection Commission (KPAI) has said.

“It seems that this government program is not popular amidst the public. So, there are people who compare and deplore the phenomenon of being a parent of a spirit doll with the need for a list of surrogate parents in this country,” KPAI’s head of supervision, monitoring, and evaluation division Jasra Putra, said in a press release received in Jakarta on Tuesday.

As per government records, the number of neglected children in Indonesia stood at 67,368 in 2020, and the list has continued to grow with cases of abandonment of babies, he said.

Additionally, 30,766 children suddenly lost their parents during the COVID-19 pandemic, he added.

Putra said that apart from the death of parents during a disaster, children could also face neglect due to family or legal problems.

“Learning from several natural disasters and pandemic disasters, children who suddenly lose their parents, it means that they need to get a replacement family immediately. Likewise, children who lose their parents due to divorce, parents in conflict with the law, children in criminal period, children in foster care institutions or similar institutions where children are cared for outside the family,” he elaborated.

He said that neglected children need parental support and a harmonious family.

“They need the presence (of figures) who (behave) like a parent for them, so that they can get full attention during their growth and development (process). Because children who are separated from their families are believed to be able to develop well if their substitute caregiver employs a family system,” he explained.

Source: Antara News