By law, Indonesian children are required to attend 6 years of elementary school and 3 years of junior high school; however, in practice, the Government did not enforce these requirements. According to 2002 UNICEF data, 96 percent of children aged 7 to 12 were enrolled in school; among children aged 13 to 15, 79 percent were enrolled in school; and among children aged 16 to 18, 49 percent were enrolled in school.
Many children grew up in poor health conditions. Malnutrition remained a serious problem. For example, Central Java health authorities announced that in the first 6 months of the year, 44,633 babies were found to be suffering from malnutrition, representing 1 out of every 6 babies in the province. The country's infant mortality rate remained high. According to UNICEF, there were 50 deaths for every 1,000 births during the year. Some health experts attributed the problem to poor service at public health centers.
Many children grew up in poor health conditions. Malnutrition remained a serious problem. For example, Central Java health authorities announced that in the first 6 months of the year, 44,633 babies were found to be suffering from malnutrition, representing 1 out of every 6 babies in the province. The country's infant mortality rate remained high. According to UNICEF, there were 50 deaths for every 1,000 births during the year. Some health experts attributed the problem to poor service at public health centers.
The Constitution does not explicitly prohibit discrimination based on gender, race, disability, language, or social status. It provides for equal rights for all citizens, both native and naturalized. In practice, however, the Government failed to defend these rights adequately, and the basic rights of women and children were frequently abused.
Child labor, child trafficking, child prostitution, street children, children in conflict areas, and under nourished children are additional issues.
According to the Surabaya Social Department, of the 7,800 sex workers in that city and its environs, 30 percent were under the age of 18. Attention was drawn to the case of a 13-year-old female sex worker who told journalists she had decided to become a prostitute because of her family's economic problems. There also were reports of sexual exploitation of boys. During the year, Jakarta's biggest hospital treated 18 boys for sexual assault. NGOs also reported long-active pedophile rings operating in Bali.
During 2004, there were cases in which parents accepted advances of future salaries from employment brokers in exchange for their daughters. The child was required to repay the employment brokers at a later stage. Researchers described a "culture of prostitution" in some parts of the country, where parents encouraged their daughters to work as big-city prostitutes and send the proceeds home.
Trafficking in women and young girls was a serious problem. There were reports that in some areas of the country, parents encouraged or sold their daughters to work as prostitutes in large urban areas.
NGO observers said many girls were forced into prostitution after the failure of marriages they had entered into when they were as young as 10 to 14 years of age. There was no obvious violation of the law because their paperwork identified them as adults due to the fact they were once married.
Divorce was a legal option open to both men and women. Muslims who sought divorce generally had to turn to the Islam-based family court system. Non-Muslims obtained divorces through the national court system. Women often faced a heavier evidentiary burden than men, especially in the family court system. Many divorces received no alimony, as there was no system to enforce alimony payments. Rights activists criticized the Marriage Law, saying it requires a woman who has just gotten divorced to wait a certain period of time before remarrying, while a man can enter into marriage immediately.
The Citizenship Law states that a child's citizenship is derived solely from the father. Children of citizen mothers and foreign fathers are considered foreigners, and require visas to remain in the country until 18, at which age they can apply for citizenship. These children are prohibited from attending public schools, and many were forced to attend private international schools. In cases in which a citizen mother lived abroad with her foreign husband, divorces sometimes caused severe child custody problems. The children of foreign women married to Indonesian men also faced difficulties. A foreign woman married to a citizen can obtain Indonesian citizenship after 1 year, if desired.
The legal differentiation between a woman and a girl was not clear. The Marriage Law sets the minimum marriageable age at 16 for a woman (and 19 for a man), but the Child Protection Law states that those below 18 are children.
Women faced considerable discrimination in the workplace, both in terms of obtaining positions and in gaining fair compensation for labor performed.
Contraceptive use was largely the responsibility of women.
Rapes committed by members of the security forces were most numerous in Aceh, the scene of a major military operation against GAM rebels. Human rights activists expressed concern that rapes were being underreported in the province, partly because of press restrictions. The NGO consortium Sahabat Aceh reported that up to 100 rapes were committed in Aceh from May to September, only 21 cases of rape or sexual harassment had been reported to the authorities. In each case, the soldier allegedly threatened to kill the victim if she spoke out.
During the year, many police stations set up a "special crisis room" (RPK), where female officers received criminal reports from sexual assault victims. Sexual harassment was not a crime, but "indecent behavior" was illegal. The law only addresses physical abuse and requires two witnesses.
Source: Human Rights Report, US Department of State Bureau of Consular Affairs.
Child labor, child trafficking, child prostitution, street children, children in conflict areas, and under nourished children are additional issues.
According to the Surabaya Social Department, of the 7,800 sex workers in that city and its environs, 30 percent were under the age of 18. Attention was drawn to the case of a 13-year-old female sex worker who told journalists she had decided to become a prostitute because of her family's economic problems. There also were reports of sexual exploitation of boys. During the year, Jakarta's biggest hospital treated 18 boys for sexual assault. NGOs also reported long-active pedophile rings operating in Bali.
During 2004, there were cases in which parents accepted advances of future salaries from employment brokers in exchange for their daughters. The child was required to repay the employment brokers at a later stage. Researchers described a "culture of prostitution" in some parts of the country, where parents encouraged their daughters to work as big-city prostitutes and send the proceeds home.
Trafficking in women and young girls was a serious problem. There were reports that in some areas of the country, parents encouraged or sold their daughters to work as prostitutes in large urban areas.
NGO observers said many girls were forced into prostitution after the failure of marriages they had entered into when they were as young as 10 to 14 years of age. There was no obvious violation of the law because their paperwork identified them as adults due to the fact they were once married.
Divorce was a legal option open to both men and women. Muslims who sought divorce generally had to turn to the Islam-based family court system. Non-Muslims obtained divorces through the national court system. Women often faced a heavier evidentiary burden than men, especially in the family court system. Many divorces received no alimony, as there was no system to enforce alimony payments. Rights activists criticized the Marriage Law, saying it requires a woman who has just gotten divorced to wait a certain period of time before remarrying, while a man can enter into marriage immediately.
The Citizenship Law states that a child's citizenship is derived solely from the father. Children of citizen mothers and foreign fathers are considered foreigners, and require visas to remain in the country until 18, at which age they can apply for citizenship. These children are prohibited from attending public schools, and many were forced to attend private international schools. In cases in which a citizen mother lived abroad with her foreign husband, divorces sometimes caused severe child custody problems. The children of foreign women married to Indonesian men also faced difficulties. A foreign woman married to a citizen can obtain Indonesian citizenship after 1 year, if desired.
The legal differentiation between a woman and a girl was not clear. The Marriage Law sets the minimum marriageable age at 16 for a woman (and 19 for a man), but the Child Protection Law states that those below 18 are children.
Women faced considerable discrimination in the workplace, both in terms of obtaining positions and in gaining fair compensation for labor performed.
Contraceptive use was largely the responsibility of women.
Rapes committed by members of the security forces were most numerous in Aceh, the scene of a major military operation against GAM rebels. Human rights activists expressed concern that rapes were being underreported in the province, partly because of press restrictions. The NGO consortium Sahabat Aceh reported that up to 100 rapes were committed in Aceh from May to September, only 21 cases of rape or sexual harassment had been reported to the authorities. In each case, the soldier allegedly threatened to kill the victim if she spoke out.
During the year, many police stations set up a "special crisis room" (RPK), where female officers received criminal reports from sexual assault victims. Sexual harassment was not a crime, but "indecent behavior" was illegal. The law only addresses physical abuse and requires two witnesses.
Source: Human Rights Report, US Department of State Bureau of Consular Affairs.
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