Stop Buruh Anak

Stop Buruh Anak

Senin, November 05, 2012

“Predator” sexual online threats our children!!

A Highlight of Conference on Sexual Crimes against Children Online (By: Misran Lubis/Deputy Director of PKPA)
“55 million people in Indonesia have Facebook accounts and more than 30 million people log in Facebook every day. Most of Facebook users are children and youths. Although the number of Facebook users in Indonesia is quite high, it does not have any security or protection system for children. Indonesia ranks first in terms of cases of sexual crimes against children online in Asia with 18,747 cases and is followed by Bangladesh with 2,971 cases. The number still excludes online sexual crimes in online social media and other internet networks. This, of course, may endanger our children because child predators have entered into their private rooms. Since online sexual crimes are as dangerous as street sexual crimes, a cross-border cooperation involving governments, business sectors and civil society organizations is needed to enable us to address the issue effectively.” Those are some statements made by speakers at Conference on Sexual Crimes against Children Online: Law Enforcement and Regional Cooperation held in Jakarta. In this article, I have quoted statements and data from some speakers at the conference such as Mr. Jeff Wu (Asia-Pacific Facebook Representative), Bindu Sharma (ICMEC/International Center for Missing and Exploited Children) and Prof. Irwanto (President of ECPAT Indonesia). Other speakers at the conference are Head of Criminal Investigation Division of the Indonesian Police, Department of Communication and Information of the Republic of Indonesia, ECPAT International, AFP, FBI, France Police, eBay-USA and a representative from Singapore District Attorney’s Office. The two-day conference was held in Mercure Convention Center Ancol, Jakarta, on 29-30 October 2012. It was officially opened by the Minister of Woman Empowerment and Child Protection of the Republic of Indonesia and was attended by 120 participants from Southeast Asian countries, France, Australia and the USA. Information and communication technology development has incresed the number of social network users because it has become a modern lifestyle. Currently, almost all people have connected to internet. Although information and communication technology development has given advantages and is very helpful, on the other side, it also may endanger its users, especially children, because of their unawareness and misuse of information and communication technology. There are some sexual crimes against children online such as the followings: - Grooming - Online sexual crimes - Online offer leading to a deceit - Child image exploitation - Human and child trafficking The conference has reminded all elements, especially government, parents and teachers, to raise their awareness and improve their knowledge of information and communication technology to enable them to control and educate children. This is because the danger of online sexual crimes is no longer a discourse but has emerged among us and threats our children. Conference Conclusions Following are some conclusions drawn from the conference: 1. Indonesia has to make a policy that can effectively prevent and eliminate sexual crimes against children online. It is also important to improve international cooperation for law enforcement because sexual crimes against children online is a cross-border crime. 2. It is important to conduct more research on sexual crimes against children online because the available data on the issue is still very limited. 3. It is important to raise the awareness of internet cafĂ© owners, business sectors, teachers and parents of the issue. Internet service providers also have to block websites and images which are inapproprite and harmful for children. 4. It is necessary to adopt best practices for the elimination of online sexual crimes in France, Australia, USA and Singapore. 5. Indonesia needs to develop a reporting mechanism that will enable children to report online sexual crimes. After the conference, ECPAT Indonesia, France Embassy and Terre des Hommes, with support from Ministry of Woman Empowerment and Child Protection of the Republic of Indonesia, will make some recommendations for relevant parties in Indonesia and other countries participating in the conference. PKPA, as a representative of ECPAT Indonesia members in North Sumatra Province, hopes that relevant parties in the province will raise their awareness of the issue and improve cooperation for the elimination of online sexual crimes. ***

Selasa, Oktober 30, 2012

“Predator” Sexual Online mengancam anak kita!!

Kabar dari Konferensi menentang kejahatan seksual online terhadapa anak (Oleh: Misran Lubis (Deputi Direktur PKPA)
“55 juta orang di Indonesia memiliki akun facebook dan lebih dari 30 juta setiap harinya log-in (membuka akun facebook). Sebagian besar pengguna facebook adalah anak-anak yang telah memasuki usia remaja. Meski jumlah pengguna facebook cukup tinggi tetapi Indonesia tidak memiliki sistem keamanan atau perlindungan terhadap anak-anak. Indonesia menempati urutan tertinggi di Asia kasus kejahatan seksual secara online terhadap anak yaitu 18.747 kasus diikuti Bangladesh 2.971 kasus. Kasus-kasus ini belum termasuk kejahatan seksual online di media sosial online atau jaringan internet lainnya. Ini sangat membahayakan bagi anak-anak kita karena “Predator” kejahatan seksual terhadap anak sudah masuk ke ruang-ruang privasi anak. Kejahatan seksual online ini sama membahayakannya dengan bentuk kejahatan seksual jalanan sehingga diperlukan langkah-langkah kerjasama lintas negara baik antara pemerintah, sektor bisnis dan organisasi masyarakat sipil”. Itu beberapa penggal pernyataan yang disampaikan para narasumber pada Konferensi menentang kejahatan seksual online terhadap anak (Conference on Sexual Crimes against Children Online: Law Enforcement and Regional Cooperation) di Jakarta. Diantara para narasumber yang saya kutip data dan pernyataannya mengenai kejahatan seksual online ini adalah Mr. Jeff Wu (perwakilan Facebook Asia Pasifik yang berkantor di Singapura), Bindu Sharma( ICMEC/International Center for Missing and Exploited Children) dan Prof. Irwanto (Presiden Ecpat Indonesia). Narasumber lainnya adalah Kabag Reskrim Mabel POLRI, Departemen KOMINFO RI, Ecpat International, AFP/Polisi Federal Australia, FBI-Amerika Serikat, Kepolisian Perancis, Paypal eBay-USA, dan perwakilan dari Kejaksaan Singapura. Konferensi yang berlangsung selama dua hari tanggal 29-30 Oktober 2012 di Mercure Convention Center Ancol, Jakarta dibuka secara resmi oleh Menteri Negera Pemberdayaan Perempuan dan Anak RI, dihadiri sekitar 120 peserta dari seluruh negara ASEAN ditambah dari negara Perancis, Australia dan Amerika Serikat. Perkembangan teknologi dan meningkatnya pengguna jejaring sosial media internet memang telah menjadi gaya hidup modern, hampir semua orang saat ini telah terhubung dengan internet. Banyak keuntungan dan kemudahan yang diperoleh dengan perkembangan teknologi komunikasi ini. tetapi dibalik itu bahaya juga mengancam keselamatan penggunanya terutama anak-anak karena ketidaktahuan atau salah memanfaatkan teknologi komunikasi. Ada beberapa bentuk kejahatan seksual terhadap anak yang dilakukan para “Predator” melalui media internet seperti: - Grooming (sebuah upaya untuk memperdaya anak maupun orang-orang disekitarnya) - Kegiatan seksual secara online - Penawaran secara online (pada akhirnya sebuah penipuan) - Eksploitasi gambar-gambar anak - Perdagangan manusia (anak) Konferensi ini juga telah mengingatkan kita semua terutama pemerintah, orang tua dan para guru untuk lebih meningkatkan kesadaran dan pengetahuan tentang teknologi komunikasi, sehingga mampu melakukan kontrol dan pendidikan terhadap anak-anak. Karena bahaya kejahatan seksual secara online bukan lagi sebuah wacana tapi sudah hadir ditengah-tengah kita dan mengintai anak-anak kita. Kesimpulan Konferensi: Beberapa kesimpulan yang diperoleh pada sesi akhir konferensi antara lain: 1. Indonesia harus memiliki kebijakan yang baik untuk menangani sekaligus mencegah kejahatan seksual online terhadap anak. Dan perlu meningkatkan kerjasama penegakan hukum antar negara karena kejahatan seksual online tidak dapat dibatasi disatu negara saja. 2. Penelitian-penelitian tentang kejahatan seksual online terhadap anak perlu banyak dilakukan, karena saat ini masih sangat minim data penelitian di issu ini. 3. Penting untuk membuat program peningkatan kesadaran kepada pemilik usaha warnet, sektor bisnis, sekolah dan orang tua. Penyedia jasa warnet harus memblokir situs-situs maupun gambar-gambar yang tidak layak untuk anak-anak 4. Mengadopsi beberapa pengalaman terbaik dari Perancis, Australia, Amerika dan Singapura dalam memerangi kejahatan seksual online. 5. Di Indonesia juga penting untuk menciptakan mekanisme pelaporan kejahatan seksual online yang dapat di lakukan oleh anak-anak. Setelah konferensi ini pihak penyelenggara yaikni Ecpat Indonesia, Kedutaan Perancis, Terre des homes, dan didukung oleh Kementerian Pemberdayaan Perempuan RI akan merumuskan rekomendasi untuk disampaikan kepada para pihak yang berkepentingan baik Pemerintah Indonesia maupun negera-negara peserta Konferensi. Saya dari PKPA sebagai perwakilan anggota Ecpat Indonesia di Sumatera Utara sangat mengharapkan adanya peningkatan kesadaran semua pihak di Sumatera Utara dan meningkatkan kerjasama untuk memerangi kejahatan seksual online ini. ***

Sabtu, Agustus 18, 2012

Happy Eid 1433

KELUARGA BESAR PKPA MENGUCAPKAN SELAMAT IDUL FITRI 1433, TAQABBALLAHU MINNA WAMINKUM MOHON MAAF LAHIR & BATHIN KANTOR PKPA LIBUR MULAI 17 – 26 AGUSTUS 2012
To welcome the great day, Hari Raya Idul Fitri, I would like to inform you that PKPA will have Holiday from 17 August – 25 August 2012 and we will be available again at the office on Monday, 27 August 2012.

Minggu, Agustus 05, 2012

CHILD LABOR IN JERMALS

Special report on the situation of jermal child labors

A number of jermals (fishing platforms) employing children still exist along the East Coast of North Sumatra such as the Districts of Langkat, Deli Serdang, Labuhan Batu and Asahan. They have been used to catch fishes since 1950s. Since not all jermals are registered in Board of Fishery of North Sumatra Province, their exact number remains unavailable. Data from Board of Fishery of North Sumatra showed that there were a total of 144 jermals with about 172 child workers in 1997. Meanwhile, 1999 data collected by ILO-IPEC showed that there were 159 jermals and 145 children working on jermals. Actually, the data showed that the number of jermals had sharply decreased compared to 1988 data collected by a number of NGOs in North Sumatra which showed more than 200 jermals and an estimate of 369 jermal child labors.
The involvement of children in jermals started from the recruitment of vulnerable children from poor families in rural areas and suburbs by jermal owners. Most of them did not have any idea of the working condition on jermals and type of work they would do on jermals because they did not live in coastal areas. Once they arrived in jermals, they did not have any choice. They could neither return to the land nor refuse the job. The only thing they could do was to follow jermal foreman’s commands. Jermal owners preferred to employ children and young people because they could be cheaply paid. A jermal worker usually received IDR 300,000-400,000 per month. In addition, they thought that children and young people could be controlled easier than adults because they usually were afraid to refuse their commands.
Due to sporadic campaign and advocacy works by local and international NGOs for the elimination of jermal child labors as this practice was considered as a form of temporary slavery, the number of both jermals and jermal child labors gradually decreased. The campaign also had influenced government policy. In 1998, the Provincial Government of North Sumatra made a policy to neither issue permit for the construction of new jermals nor extend permit for the existing ones. The policy was then followed up by the establishment of an Integrated Team for Jermal Child Labor Monitoring and Elimination. One of its impacts was the decreased number of jermals and children working on jermals. Research conducted by PKPA, with support from BftW Germany, showed that there were only 91 jermals in 2003 and the number fell to only 57 jermals with 7 jermal child labors in 2004.

Have jermals and jermal child labors been eliminated?
(Monitoring conducted by PKPA on Serdang Bedagai Waters on 4-5 February 2012)
Although program for the elimination of jermal child labors completed in 2006, regular monitoring is still conducted by some organizations such as PKPA, ILO-IPEC, media and researchers from a number of universities in Medan, Jakarta and Yogyakarta. Monitoring conducted by PKPA in 2009 found that there were still 7 jermals in operation and 2 children working on jermals. From October to November 2011, a postgraduate student from Gadjah Mada University (Universitas Gadjah Mada – UGM) Yogyakarta conducted research on jermals and found that although some jermals were still in operation, they were not productive and only had 2-3 adult workers.
Although government states that jermal child labors have been successfully eliminated, it remains a challenge to prove this. Therefore, to get updated information about the situation of jermals and jermal child labors, PKPA conducted a two-day monitoring on 4-5 February 2012 by using the following two methods:

1. Mobile phone interview
PKPA team called the following informants because they were considered to have accurate information about the situation of jermals.

Informants Interview Conclusions
Mr. Agus (Coordinator of TC2 Tanjung Balai). He is a local NGO activist in Tanjung Balai and knows information about the situation of jermals in Batu Bara, Bagan Asahan and Tanjung Balai.


The interviews revealed that it could be ensured that there was no productive activity on jermals. Although some jermals still existed, their condition was unsafe because their piles had been petrified and were not replaced with the new ones. Currently, many former jermal workers work in fishing boats because they are more dynamic and can move from one location to another based on the condition of sea water and position of fishes.

Miss Rafiqah Nalar Rizky (A postgraduate student of Gadjah Mada University). She conducted research on child labors in offshore fishing sector in September-November 2011. During the research, she visited Sei Berombang waters, the District of Labuhan Batu, on which a lot of jermals exist.

Mr. Dedy Sofian (Coordinator of Sanggar Sri Denai, Pantai Labu). He is a child NGO activist who knows the situation of jermals in Deli Serdang and Serdang Bedagai waters.


2. Visit to jermals
The monitoring was conducted in Pantai Cermin and Sialang Buah waters of the District of Serdang Bedagai. During the monitoring, PKPA also got information about situation of jermals in Beting Bawal waters of the District of Batu Bara. This information was obtained from indepth interviews with a number of fishermen and fishing boat owners who often catch fishes on the waters. The informants are Mr. Ibas or Mr. Kumis (60 years) and Mr. Ucok (50 years).
The two informants said that east coast of North Sumatra covered the Districts of Langkat, Deli Serdang, Serdang Bedagai, Batu Bara, Bagan Asahan, Tanjung Balai and Labuhan Batu. Currently, jermals only exist in two or three of these districts. The highest number of jermals is in Beting Bawal waters, the District of Batu Bara. It is estimated that there are about 10 jermals there. Meanwhile, there are 4 jermals in Pantai Cermin and Sialang Buah waters, the District of Serdang Bedagai. Jermals in Beting Bawal waters are more productive and have more workers than those of in other areas. On average, a jermal in Beting Bawal waters employs 8-10 workers. Two of them are adults and they become a foreman and vice foreman while the rests usually are children and young people who are still single. There are two jermals in Pantai Cermin waters, Jermal Pak Tua and Jermal Lamhai, and two jermals in Sialang Buah waters, Jermal Lamtua and Jermal Sun-Seng. A jermal in both Pantai Cermin and Sialang Buah waters employs on average 3-5 workers and generally they are adults.
Table below compares number of jermals in 2012 and that of in 2003 in Pantai Cermin, Sialang Buah and Beting Bawal waters based on results of monitoring conducted by PKPA.

Name of District Name of Waters Number of Jermals and Jermal Child Labors in 2003
(PKPA Research) Number of Jermals in 2012
(PKPA Monitoring Conducted on 4 February 2012)




Serdang Bedagai
Pantai Cermin
• 10 units
• 4 child labors
2 units:
• Jermal Pak Tua
• Jermal Lam Hai
Sialang Buah
• 12 units
• 4 child labors
2 units:
• Jermal Sun-seng
• Jermal Lam Tua




Batu Bara


Beting Bawal


• 21 units
• 18 child labors It is estimated that there are still 10 jermals in operation and it is assumed that they still employ children.

Pagurawan • 2 units
• 2 child labors It is informed that there is no jermal in Pagurawan.

To support information provided by Mr. Kumis and Mr. Ucok, PKPA visited jermals in Pantai Cermin waters. The first jermal visited by PKPA is Jermal Pak Tua. It is about six miles from the coast and it took us an hour to reach the jermal by a boat rented from a local fisherman.
Having arrived in Jermal Pak Tua, PKPA team were welcome by an adult jermal worker wearing short trousers and a big, fierce dog which always barked at us. At that time, the weather was bad and the waves reached 2.5 meters in height. Extra caution is needed to enable us to reach jermal floor because it is about 5 meters in height from the sea water. If you slip or if the rope breaks, you will fall into the sea.
There are two adult workers and a foreman named Mr. Legion (55 years) in Jermal Pak Tua. In addition to these jermal workers, we also met 5 men from Medan. They have been two days on the jermal for fishing. We did not find any child labor on it. Mr. Legion said that Jermal Pak Tua and other jermals in Pantai Cermin waters no longer recruited and employed children. This was because they were afraid if they employed children, its permit would be suspended by government. Currently, there were only few people working on jermals because they were no longer promising and profitable. These last ten years, jermal production drastically fell compared to that of in 1980s and 1990s. At that time, their income was IDR 20,000,000 per week but it is now difficult to only earn IDR 5,000,000 per month. Their catch has drastically dropped due to increased number of fishing boats operating around jermals. He further said that it was estimated that jermals would have collapsed by next two years.
Having on Jermal Pak Tua for one and half hours, the monitoring team continued their journey to Jermal Lam Hai. It is about 2 miles away from Jermal Pak Tua. The distance was covered in 30 minutes by boat. On this jermal, the team only met 3 workers and a foreman. All of them are adults and have an average age of 40 years. Since the weather got worse and the waves were higher and higher, the monitoring team decided to return to the land and put off their plan to visit two other jermals in Sialang Buah waters.

From jermals to fishing boats
Following the successful elimination of jermal child labors, child exploitation in fishing sector has shifted from jermals to fishing boats. This phenomenon strengthens an assumption that although the issue of jermal child labor can be addressed effectively, the involvement of children in hazardous works such as in offshore fishing sector continues until now.
Almost all fishing boats employ child labors. A fishing boat usually employs 2-3 children. However, it is more difficult to study child labors on fishing boats than those on jermals. This is because fishing boats can move from one place to another when they are in operation. Additionally, information from local communities who had ever employed their children on a fishing boat revealed that they preferred to employ their children on fishing boat than jermals because they would go home every one or two weeks so that they did not need to wait for months to enable them to see their children again. Nevertheless, working system and types of works in fishing boat may put children at high risk because the works are exploitative and they are particularly vulnerable to various abuses by adults working on the fishing boat. (Rafiqah Nalar Rizky, 2011)
A rapid assessment conducted by ILO-IPEC in 2004 found that it was estimated that there were 1,622-7,157 children working on fishing boats. This estimate was made based on the number of fishing boats operating in east coast and west coast of North Sumatra which was 27,442; each fishing boat employs 1-5 children and an estimate of 5%-90% of each fishing boat employs children1). A further study as well as government’s and relevant parties’ seriousness will be needed to know the accuracy and validity of information about the situation of child labors in offshore fishing sector, especially in fishing boats.

Senin, Juli 30, 2012

Pers Release Dikeluarkan di Medan, 27 Juli 2012 PKPA PERINGATI Hari Anak Nasional
Hari Anak Nasional (HAN) jatuh pada 23 Juli 2012. Momen ini dimeriahkan oleh Pusat Kajian dan Perlindungan anak (PKPA) Medan dengan mengadakan rangkaian acara berupa kegiatan lomba untuk anak-anak, diskusi interaktif, launching buku PKPA, dan buka puasa bersama. Rangkaian acara yang mengambil tema “Aku tahu, aku senang” ini diadakan pada 26 Juli - 3 Agustus 2012. Adapun kegiatan yang diperlombakan yaitu menggambar dan lomba “celoteh anak” dengan tema “Lingkungan Layak Anak”. Lomba ini menjadi ajang bagi anak-anak untuk mengungkapkan persepsi/pandangan mereka mengenai kondisi lingkungan yang mereka harapkan. Lingkungan yang dimaksud dapat berupa lingkungan sekolah, keluarga, dan lingkungan dalam hidup bermasyarakat. Melalui lomba ini, PKPA mengajak seluruh lapisan masyarakat untuk memperhatikan kepentingan anak-anak dan mendengarkan pendapatnya demi pengembangan diri anak. Lomba menggambar dapat diikuti oleh anak-anak berusia 6-10 tahun, dan lomba “celoteh anak” untuk anak-anak berusia 11-15 tahun. Lomba ini dilakukan pada empat lokasi, di mana di lokasi tersebut PKPA telah melakukan pendampingan pada anak-anak jalanan dan anak miskin kota. Lomba menggambar dan lomba “celoteh anak” serempak diadakan pada pukul 14.00 sampai selesai, dengan jadwal lomba sebagai berikut: 1.Di terminal Amplas pada tanggal 26 Juli 2012. 2.Di Pusat Pasar Petisah pada tanggal 27 Juli 2012. 3.Di Simpang Pos (Padang Bulan) pada tanggal 28 Juli 2012. 4.Di Terminal Pinang Baris pada tanggal 30 Juli 2012. Bagi anak-anak yang tertarik untuk mengikuti lomba, dipersilahkan untuk mendaftar kepada PKPA dengan datang langsung ke lokasi lomba pada hari H lomba. Anak-anak diharapkan agar didampingi oleh orangtua/wali kecuali untuk anak-anak jalanan yang tidak memungkinkan untuk didampingi. Grand final dan pengumuman pemenang dilakukan pada puncak acara yaitu 3 Agustus 2012 di Terminal Amplas. Diskusi interaktif dilakukan pada puncak acara dengan tema sebagai berikut: 1. Kesehatan reproduksi dengan narasumber PIKIR (Pusat Informasi Kesehatan Reproduksi dan Jender) PKPA. 2. Kenakalan remaja dengan narasumber POLRESTA Medan. 3. Perkembangan kota layak anak dengan narasumber Biro PPA-KB Seta Provinsi Sumatera Utara. Dalam kesempatan ini, Misran Lubis selaku Deputi Direktur PKPA akan melakukan launching buku “Kebijakan dan Prosedur Perlindungan Anak”. Buku ini diterbitkan oleh PKPA pada 23 Maret 2012 sebagai bentuk bahwa PKPA merupakan organisasi yang aman untuk anak (child safe organization). PKPA juga akan menghadirkan anak-anak dampingan sebanyak kurang lebih 150 anak, para orangtua, pemerintah dan berbagai lembaga yang menjadi patner PKPA. Sementara itu, PKPA Nias menyelenggarakan kegiatan HAN dengan mengadakan kongres anak di Nias Selatan dan kegiatan lomba menggambar untuk anak-anak tingkat SD di Nias Barat dengan tema gambar “stop buruh anak”. Tema ini diusung karena banyaknya pekerja anak di Pulau Nias. Di mana, mempekerjakan anak-anak sejak dini sudah menjadi bagian dari budaya Suku Nias dalam mendidik anak-anak. Kemudian untuk Provinsi Aceh, PKPA Aceh bersama LSM lain yang bergerak dalam pendampingan anak-anak mengadakan kegiatan kreatifitas anak berupa talk show radio dan televise. Forum LSM Peduli Anak Aceh ini memfasilitasi anak-anak untuk menuliskan surat kepada Gubernur Aceh dengan tema “Suara Anak Ceria untuk Perdamaian”. Tema ini diusung dikarenakan sangat penting untuk menanamkan rasa perdamaian sejak dini kepada anak-anak di Aceh. Melalui momen HAN tahun ini, PKPA berusaha menyelenggarakan berbagai kegiatan bermanfaat untuk anak-anak Indonesia. Melibatkan anak-anak dalam kegiatan kreativitas merupakan bagian dari pemenuhan hak anak seperti terkandung dalam UU RI No. 23 Tahun 2003 Tahun 2002, “ Setiap anak berhak untuk hidup, tumbuh, berkembang, dan berpartisipasi secara wajar sesuai dengan harkat dan martabat kemanusiaan, serta mendapat perlindungan dari kekerasan dan diskriminasi”. Menyikapi pemenuhan hak anak, Misran Lubis mengajak seluruh stakeholder agar berpartisipasi, termasuk pemerintah. Misran mengungkapkan bahwa harapan khusus dari PKPA kepada seluruh pemerintah daerah di Indonesia yaitu agar menuntaskan kepemilikan “Akte Kelahiran” bagi setiap anak. Kemudian, perlunya amandemen terhadap UU sistem kependudukan tentang pengurusan akte kelahiran bagi anak, karena itu merupakan salah satu hak dasar anak untuk mendapatkan pengakuan secara administratif sebagai warga negara. termasuk dalam klaster I Hak-hak dasar Anak yaitu Hak Sipil dan Kebebasan Anak.

Kamis, Maret 01, 2012

STORY OF CHILD LABORS IN RUBBER PLANTATION

Yohanes Hulu (17 years)

Yohanes is the third son of five children. He lives in Ono Nazara Village, the Sub District of Tugala Oyo, the District of North Nias. He dropped out of elementary school in the fourth grade. Then, he left his village and worked in Pekan Baru. Having worked in a rubber plantation in Pekan Baru for nearly four years, his mother asked him to come back to his village after the death of his father. In his village, the boy works in a rubber plantation. His task is to transport rubber from river to land. He has been working as a rubber transporter for almost five years. He can transport 60-70 kilograms of rubber once and is paid IDR 50 per kilogram. He can transport 1-2 tons of rubber a day and therefore receives an average of IDR 100,000 or Euro 8.33 per day. He does not work alone in Teolo River, the Sub District of Tugala Oyo, the District of North Nias. There are some adults and 4-5 other children who also work in the river. One of them is Syukur Selamat Hia (16 years). He lives in Gunung Tua Village, the Sub District of Tugala Oyo, and is the eldest son of four children. He dropped out of elementary school when he was in the fourth grade. Currently, he becomes the family breadwinner.


Dian Telaumbanua (16 years)
Dian is the ninth daughter of ten children of Arosokhi Telaumbanua (56 years) and Si Iyam Jawa (40 years). She could only complete her elementary school because her parents could not afford to send her to junior high school for economic reason. The girl and her siblings work in their family’s rubber plantation. In addition, they work in a stone mine located on a hill. They work in the plantation from 6 to 11 a.m. and work in the stone mine from 1 to 5 p.m.

Minggu, Februari 26, 2012

BURUH ANAK “DARI SUNGAI SAMPAI LERENG BUKIT”

(Laporan Survey Buruh Anak di Pulau Nias, 18-24 februari 2012)


Pulau Nias saat ini memang telah berubah, jika dibandingkan dengan kondisi sebelum bencana alam gempa bumi tahun 2005 lalu. Ribuan bangunan rumah, perkantoran, pasar, sekolah, rumah ibadah bahkan bangunan jalan dan jembatan telah dinikmati masyarakat dan pembangunan terus berjalan. Setiap harinya puluhan truk pengangkut kayu, batu-batu sungai dan batu gunung, kerikil, pasir, batu-bata datang dari pedesaan menuju kota-kota untuk memenuhi permintaan material bangunan yang dipesan oleh para kontraktor dan pekerja bangunan. Para pengusaha galian C juga sibuk memenuhi suplay material bangunan sehingga harus mempekerjakan banyak orang agar hasil penambangan pasir, batu dan kerikil dapat memenuhi permintaan tersebut. Tak ketinggalan juga para pemilik tanah dipedesaan merelakan tanamannya dibongkar karena didalam tanah tersimpan batu-batu cadas yang dimintai para kontraktor. Sehingga tidak sedikit jumlahnya lahan-lahan pemukiman dan lahan perkebunan dieksploitasi tanpa mempetimbangkan bahaya bencana longsor dapat terjadi sewaktu-waktu.

Tapi siapa yang menyangka jika gedung-gedung megah, jalan yang mulus dan jembatan-jembatan baru yang dibangun dengan material pasir, batu, kerikil dan batu-bata tersebut diperoleh dari tangan-tangan mungil anak-anak desa. Hampir setiap lokasi galian C tempat penambangan batu sungai, kerikil, pasir, dihampir setiap lereng bukit penghasil batu cadas dan tempat-tempat produksi batu bata ditemukan 5-15 anak-anak usia 10-18 tahun. Mereka tidak mempedulikan bahaya yang dapat mengancam keselmatan mereka, mereka juga harus melupakan mimpi mereka untuk menikmati sekolah apalagi bermain dengan teman sebaya ditempat yang aman. Kini mereka harus ikut menanggung beban ekonomi keluarga, mereka juga bekerja seperti orang dewasa meski upah yang mereka terima harus berbeda dengan orang dewasa. Penghasilan rata-rata setiap anak perharinya antara 10-15 ribu rupiah, sementara orang dewasa rata-rata penghasilan perhari antara 30-50 ribu rupiah.

Anak-anak yang bekerja disektor penambang pasir dan batu di sungai, pantai dan bukit-bukit terjadi hampir diseluruh wilayah Pulau Nias. Pekerjaan ini berlangsung secara turun-menurun, anak-anak yang drop out sekolah dan yang masih berstatus pelajar banyak terlibat disektor ini. Anak-anak diusia 6 tahun sudah mulai terlibat secara produktif mengumpulkan material bangunan tersebut. Pekerjaan sebagai penambang dilakukan anak laki-laki dan anak perempuan, tidak ada peberbedaan beban kerja bagi anak-anak tersebut.

Lebih jauh menelusuri desa-desa dipulau Nias ternyata semakin banyak anak-anak yang bekerja dalam situasi terburuk. Sebuah sungai besar di kecamatan Tugalaoyo, Kabupaten Nias Utara, setiap harinya 5-10 anak laki-laki usia 14-18 tahun menyusuri sungai dengan rakit dan perahu kecil membawa puluhan ton karet. Karet-karet milik penadah dari para petani kebun tersebut kemudian diangkat dari sungai ke truk-truk yang telah menunggu dipnggir sungai. Karet seberat 60-80 Kilogram mereka panggul dari sungai ke daratan yang jaraknya sekitar 50 meter. Dalam sehari seorang anak dapat mengangkut karet 1 sampai 2 tahun, meerka mendapatkan upah antara IDR. 50,000-100,000/hari, upah disesuai banyaknya karet yang berhasil diangkat dari sungai ke daratan. Karena anak-anak tersebut tidak lagi sekolah maka uang yang diperoleh sebagian diberikan kepada orangtua dan sebagian untuk membeli rokok, minuman alkohol dan makanan diwarung-warung mengikuti jejak orang-orang dewasa yang juga bekerja bersama anak-anak. bahkan terkadang para pekerja dewasa memanfaatkan ketidak berdayaan anak-anak untuk membeli rokok dan minuman beralkohol produksi lokal “Tuak” yang dicampur dengan produksi pabrik.

Sektor pekerja anak lainnya yang cukup besar menyerap tenaga anak-anak adalah perkebunan karet yang pada umumnya adalah milik keluarga. Pada pagi hari sekitar pukul 05.30 AM anak-anak di desa bersama dengan orang tua nya pergi ke hutan untuk “menderes” karet. Pekerja menderes karet memang terlihat mudah, tapi lokasinya ditengah hutan mereka harus berjalan ditengah hutan puluhan kilo meter. Pekerjaan dikebun karet ini dilakukan oleh anak laki-laki dan anak perempuan, bahkan sejak anak-anak usia 7 tahun juga telah diajarkan untuk mederes karet. Berdasarkan kajian cepat yang dilakukan oleh PKPA dan ACTED tahun 2012 di Kabupaten Nias Utara dan Nias Barat, sebaran pekerja anak di pulau Nias adalah:
• Sektor perkebunan/pertanian : 53 %
• Penambang batu/kerikim/pasir : 26%
• Nelayan : 6%
• Penjaga warung/toko : 11%
• Sektor konstruksi : 3 %
• Usaha rumah tangga : 1%

Gambaran sebaran pekerja anak tersebut juga menggambaran sebaran pekerja anak diwilayah lainnya di Pulau Nias, kecuali kota Gunungsitoli. Di kota Gunungsitoli jenis pekerjaan terburuk yang melibatkan anak-anak lebih kompleks, seperti pemulung anak, penarik beca, pekerja rumah tangga anak, penjaga toko, prostitusi anak dan penjual makanan/minuman keliling. Dari jenis pekerja anak tersebut, sektor penambang batu, kerikil, pasir di sungai dan lereng-lereng bukit merupakan sektor pekerjaan yang terburuk untuk anak. Selain lokasi kerja yang membahayakan keselamatan anak, juga bentuk pekerjaan yang sangat eksploitatif. Beban kerja yang sangat berat dengan waktu kerja yang panjang telah menyebabkan banyak anak mengalami penurunan motivasi sekolah dan perilaku yang banyak meniru orang dewasa seperti merokok dan mengkonsumsi minuman beralkohol.

Fakta perburuhan anak disektor penambangan batu, kerikil dan pasir memang bukan cerita baru di Pulau Nias, kondisi tersebut telah berlangsung lama secara turun-temurun. Bahkan masyarakat dan juga pemangku kepentingan diwilayh tersebut sepertinya telah maklum dengan kondisi tersebut dan memandang hal yang biasa. Entah sampai kapan anak-anak ini akan terbebas dari pekerjaan terburuk, entah kapan mereka akan menikmati masa kanak-anak dengan penuh kasih sayank, dapat sekolah dengan nyaman, bermain dengan teman sebaya dan meraih mimpi-mimpi menjadi orang sukses!!!!. (Report by: Misran Lubis and Team PKPA Nias)


Minggu, Februari 12, 2012

PULAU NIAS MENUJU KAWASAN LAYAK ANAK

(WORKSHOP SINERGISITAS PROGRAM DAN PERLINDUNGAN ANAK DI PULAU NIAS)

Anak-anak bukanlah manusia yang pasif dan mereka juga bukan sekedar objek dari kebijakan dan pembangunan suatu wilayah maupun negara. Apapun bentuk intervensi yang kita lakukan saat ini terhadap anak akan mempengaruhi sumber daya manusia dimasa yang akan datang. Seorang tokoh peraih nobel perdamaian bernama Nelson Mandela pernah berkata ““The Convention of the Rights of the Child is a luminous living document that enshrines the rights of the child without exception to a life of dignity and self-fulfilment” (Bagaimana suatu bangsa memberikan prioritas kepada pembangunan anak menunjukkan apakah bangsa tersebut adalah bangsa yang visioner). Jadi jika kita adalah bangsa yang berfikir jangka panjang tentang kehidupan bangsa ini, maka sangat tergantung apa yang kita lakukan dan kita berikan kepada anak-anak saat ini, merekalah pemilik masa depan itu.

Pernahkah kita memimpikan suatu desa atau kota yang menyenangkan buat anak-anak. Kota yang memiliki fasilitas bermain disemua sudutnya, kawasan yang terbebas dari polusi udara, limbah rumah tangga, limbang pabrik, bersih dari sampah-sampah yang banyak menyimpan bakteri penyakit sehingga anak-anak tumbuh dengan sehat, mereka menikmati sungai dan air yang bersih. Kawasan yang aman, anak-anak tidak perlu takut oleh para pelaku kriminal, bebas dari kekerasan, perkosaan, pelecehan karena keamanan benar-benar terjaga terus-menerus berkat kesigapan para aparat keamanan. Tidak hanya itu,anak juga tidak dipandang sebagai sosok yang tidak tahu apa-apa tentang wilyahnya, mereka selalu dimintai pendapatnya dalam berbagai keputusan penting yang menyangkut perencanaan wilayah. Anak-anak pergi kesekolah dengan aman, ada ruas jalan khusus untuk pejalan kaki terutama anak-anak dan pendandang kebutuhan khusus. Hidup dan tumbuh diwilayah seperti itu tentu menyenangkan bagi semua orang, terutama bagi anak-anak, mereka dapat menikmati masa kecilnyadengan bermain dan penuh keceriaan.

Kondisi ideal sebuah pemukiman baik itu di desa maupun di kota yang layak bagi anak kini bukan hanya sekedar mimpi belaka, namun telah menjadi agenda global yang kenal dengan agenda “ World fit for Children” (Dunia yang layak untuk Anak). Pada Konferensi Habita ke-II atau City Summit di Istanbul, Turky pada tahun 1996, perwakilan pemerintah dari seluruh dunia bertemu dan menandatangani agenda habitat yakni sebuah program aksi untuk membuat pemukiman lebih nyaman untuk ditempati dan berkelanjutan. Pada paragraf 13 agenda habitat tersebut sangat jelas disebutkan bahwa anak dan remaja harus memiliki tempat tinggal yang layak, terlibat dalam proses pengambilan keputusan, baik di kota maupun di komunitas.

Agenda global untuk menciptakan kawasan yang layak untuk anak juga menjadi komitmen pemerintah Indonesia. 21 tahun lalu pemerintah Indonesia telah meratifikasi Konvensi Hak Anak (KHA) melalui Keputusan Presiden Nomor 36 tahun 1990. Sebuah instrumen hukum internasional untuk menghormati dan memenuhi hak-hak anak. Komitmen tersebut semakin diperkuat dengan lahirnya undang-undang Republik Indonesia nomor 23 tahun 2002 tentang Perlindunga Anak. Pemerintah Indonesia melalui Kementerian Pemberdayaan Perempuan dan Perlindungan Anak, telah mengeluarkan sejumlah aturan dan program untuk membangun kawasan Indonesia yang layak anak, yang dikenal dengan program “IDOLA” (Indonesia layak anak). Komitmen untuk menciptakan Indonesia Layak Anak, juga harus menjadi komitmen seluruh pemerintahan di daerah baik tingkat provinsi, kabupaten/kota hingga tingkat desa/kelurahan.


Sosialisasi Kabupaten/Kota Layak Anak di Pulau Nias

Tanggal 17 Janurai 2012 bertempat di Aula hotel Soliga, Gunungsitoli, seluruh perwakilan pemerintah daerah otonomi di Pulau Nias dan juga organisasi-organisasi kemasyarakat, lembaga budaya, media lokal dan perwakilan organisasi anak, hadir mengikuti kegiatan sosialisasi Kabuapten/kota layak anak. Workshop yang difasilitasi oleh Pusat Kajian dan Perlindungan Anak (PKPA-Nias) menghadirkan para narasumber yang berkompeten yaitu; Ibu Endah Sri Rezeki (mewakili Asisten Deputi Pengembangan Kabupaten/Kota Layak Anak, Kementerian Pemberdayaan Perempuan dan Perlinduangan Anak), Drg. Iis Faizah Hanum, Mkes (Ka. Biro PPA-KB, Provinsi Sumatera Utara) dan Misran Lubis (Deputy Direktur PKPA Indonesia). Workshop yang dihadiri sekitar 50 peserta tersebut dibuka secara resmi oleh bapak Kurnia Zebua (Assisten II Setda Kota Gunungsitoli) yang hadir mewakili Walikota.

Dalam sambutan tertulisnya Walikota Gunungsitoli mengatakan; “Pemerintah berkepentingan sekali dalam program yang disosialiasikan oleh PKPA ini, Kita sangat mendukung kegiatan atau program PKPA ini dalam upaya memberikan perlindungan terhadap anak di kepulauan Nias. Pemerintahan di pulau Nias ini juga harus memikirkan kedepan bagaimana membangun sebuah institusi yang kuat dalam perlindungan anak. Khusus untuk di Kota Gunungsitoli, pemerintah sedang merancang adanya peraturan daerah mengenai perlindungan anak. kita berharap pemerintah pusat dan pemerintah provinsi bisa sama-sama mendukung upaya pemerintah di kepulauan Nias untuk menciptakan kawasan yang layak anak”.

Sementara itu Misran Lubis (Deputi Direktur PKPA Indonesia) dalam paparan materinya menyampaian bahwa Nias pasca tsunami dan gempa bumi tahun 2004 dan 2005 lalu, telah mengalami perubahan besar diberbagai sektor pembangunan. Hampir semua wilayah di Pulau Nias telah dapat diakses dengan kendaraan karena infrastruktur jalan semakin baik dan yang lebih penting lagi saat ini pulau Nias telah memiliki lima daerah otonom. Namun dibalik kemajuan pembangunan disektor fisik, hal terpenting yang harus dibanguna secara berimbang adalah sumber daya manusia. Bicara sumber daya manusia maka kita tidak dapat mengebaikan keberadaan anak-anak yang jumlahnya hampir separoh dari populasi di pulau Nias. Kepentingan dan kebutuhan mereka untuk dapat hidup dan tumbuh-kembang secara layak dibumi Nias ini harus menjadi perhatian utama.

Lebih lanjut Misran lubis memaparkan hasil pemetaan situasi anak Nias yang perlu menjadi perhatian semua pihak. Menurutnya masih banyak banyak anak-anak terabaikan hak-hak dasarnya dan berada dalam situasi yang beresiko terjadinya penelantaran dan eksploitasi.
 Anak-anak tanpa akte kelahiran. Pemerintah harus membuat kebijakan khusus agar semua anak dapat memperoleh akte kelahiran. Anak-anak harus benar-benar tercatat sebagai warga negara karena ini merupakan perlindungan terhadap hak dasar anak, sekaligus jaminan agar anak-anak tidak terkendala dalam mengakses layanan-layanan yang diberikan oleh negara serta kemungkinan terjadinya manipulasi identitas anak.
 Anak-anak yang berada dalam situasi pekerjaan terburuk dan membahayakan mereka, baik fisik, mental dan sosialnya. Mereka yang terpaksa bekerja juga mengalami masalah dengan pendidikannya.
 Anak-anak yang berhadapan dengan hukum dan anak-anak yang menjadi korban kekerasan baik kekerasan fisik mapun seksual. Ranah-ranah domestik seperti keluarga, sekolah dan panti-panti penampungan telah menyumbang data tertinggi kekerasan terhadap anak.
 Anak-anak dengan kebutuhan khusus (difable), masih sangat minim fasilitas pendidikan yang tersedia untuk anak-anak yang berkebutuhan khusus, padahal jumlahnya cukup besar. Berdasarkan data yang dimiliki oleh Pusat Rehabilitasi Yakkum (PRY), data anak berkebutuhan khusus tahun 2005 tercatat 284 anak, 95% anak-anak tersebut belum pernah mengakses pendidikan.

Masih banyak situasi-situasi yang menghambat tumbuh-kembang anak di pulau Nias yang belum terungkap. Yang lebih penting kedepan adalah bagaimana sinergisitas semua kelompok kepentingan dalam merencanakan pembangunan untuk masa depan anak-anak. perlu ada perubahan paradigma dalam pembangunan masa depan anak, dari konsep sektoral dan parsial menuju konsep yang lebih holistik dan berkelanjutan. Dalam tiga tahun kedepan, PKPA masih menjadi bagian dari kelompok kepentingan di Pulau Nais bersama lembaga pemerintah dan stakeholders lainnya.

Komitmen untuk mendukung kawasan pulau Nias menuju layak anak juga disampaikan oleh Drg. Iis Faizah Hanum, Mkes. Sesuai dengan SK Gubernur Sumatera Utara No. 188.44/725/KPTS/2010 Tanggal 17 Desember 2010, bahwa di Provinsi Sumatera Utara selama 2 tahun lalu telah menetapkan 8 kabupaten/kota menuju layak anak. Dalam ketetapan tersebut kabupaten/kota di pulau Nias belum termasuk sebagai daerah pilot project, namun untuk 2012 dan kedepannya tentu pemerintah provinsi akan mengembangkan programnya ke wilayah Pulau Nias. Oleh karena itu dukungan dan komitmen daerah sangat penting agar sinergisitas pembangunan kabupaten/kota layak anak dapat terwujud. Inisiatif daerah untuk memulai perencanaan pembangunan kawasan layak anak dapat dimulai kapan saja, kerjasama lembaga-lembaga ditingkat lokal perlu dibangun agar beban berat dapat terselesaikan.

Hal senada juga disampaikan oleh Ibu Endah Sri Rejeki, bahwa Pemerintah Indonesia secara nasional menargetkan pada tahun 2014 nanti telah terwujud 100 kabupaten/kota layak anak. Provinsi Sumatera Utara saat ini menjadi salah satu dari 10 Kabupaten/Kota yang menjadi pilot project pengembangan kabupaten/kota menuju layak anak. Kementerian Pemberdayaan Perempuan dan Perlindungan Anak telah memeberikan pedoman-pedoman teknis kepada pemerintahan didaerah untuk menginisasi pembentukan kabupaten/kota layak anak. (Gunungsitoli, 18 February 2012/Misran Lubis).

Jumat, Februari 10, 2012

Child labors in stone and sand mining in Nias Island

Report by PKPA-Nias, 9 Feb 2012
Children working in stone and sand mining in rivers, beaches and hills are common practice in Nias Island. These hereditary works usually involve not only school dropouts but also children who still attend school. Children usually start collecting these building materials at the age of six years. Children who are school dropouts work every day from morning to evening while those who still attend school usually work from 2-6 p.m. every day. These types of work, of course, may endanger their lives and are very harmful to their growth and development. Following are stories of child labors in stone and sand mining:

a.Firman Jaya Zendrato (10 years)
Firman is the fourth son of eight children. Most of them are elementary school graduates and only one of them is a junior high school graduate. Currently, the boy is at the fourth grade of elementary school. After school, he has to work to help his parents. He usually works from 2-6 p.m to collect stones from a river. However, he sometimes works as a building construction worker with main task is to transport sand. His six brothers and sisters who are between the ages of 6 to 14 years also work to collect stone in the river. They do not receive money from their work but their parents do to meet their daily needs and pay school expenses. The young boy does not have any choice but follow his father command although the work is exhausting. He and his family live in Muzoi Village, the Sub District of Lotu, the District of North Nias. They live in a small house located in a rubber plantation owned by other people. They live there because his parents have been asked to keep and take care of it.


b.Pian Zega (13 years)
Pian is one of victims of the deadly earthquake that hit Nias in 2005. He got a severe injury on his head due to the natural disaster. Currently, he is at the sixth grade of elementary school. However, he cannot study well because he has to work as a stone miner. He also had ever dropped out of school for one year because he had to follow his parents working in a palm oil plantation outside Nias Island. Since his parents cannot afford to send him to school, his uncle helps them send him to school. However, the young boy has to collect stones from hills for him in return. He does not receive money from his work but his uncle does to meet his daily needs and pay his tuition.

Situation of child labor, especially in its worst forms, in Nias Island is very complex. Almost all villages in the island are facing the issue of child labor, especially child labor in sand and stone mining, rubber plantation and fishing sector. Strategies for child labor elimination in Nias Island include child labor prevention, withdrawal and empowerment. Campaign for the elimination of child labor in Nias Island has been launched since 2008. PKPA, with support from KNH and involvement of ILO-IPEC, has started campaign for child labor elimination by conducting research on child labors. The research findings have been widely disseminated and are used as recommendations for local governments in Nias Island to make policy on the prevention and elimination of child exploitation.

Stop Child Labour...............Now

Kamis, Februari 09, 2012

CHILD LABOR IN JERMALS

Special report on the situation of jermal child labors


A number of jermals (fishing platforms) employing children still exist along the East Coast of North Sumatra such as the Districts of Langkat, Deli Serdang, Labuhan Batu and Asahan. They have been used to catch fishes since 1950s. Since not all jermals are registered in Board of Fishery of North Sumatra Province, their exact number remains unavailable. Data from Board of Fishery of North Sumatra showed that there were a total of 144 jermals with about 172 child workers in 1997. Meanwhile, 1999 data collected by ILO-IPEC showed that there were 159 jermals and 145 children working on jermals. Actually, the data showed that the number of jermals had sharply decreased compared to 1988 data collected by a number of NGOs in North Sumatra which showed more than 200 jermals and an estimate of 369 jermal child labors.
The involvement of children in jermals started from the recruitment of vulnerable children from poor families in rural areas and suburbs by jermal owners. Most of them did not have any idea of the working condition on jermals and type of work they would do on jermals because they did not live in coastal areas. Once they arrived in jermals, they did not have any choice. They could neither return to the land nor refuse the job. The only thing they could do was to follow jermal foreman’s commands. Jermal owners preferred to employ children and young people because they could be cheaply paid. A jermal worker usually received IDR 300,000-400,000 per month. In addition, they thought that children and young people could be controlled easier than adults because they usually were afraid to refuse their commands.
Due to sporadic campaign and advocacy works by local and international NGOs for the elimination of jermal child labors as this practice was considered as a form of temporary slavery, the number of both jermals and jermal child labors gradually decreased. The campaign also had influenced government policy. In 1998, the Provincial Government of North Sumatra made a policy to neither issue permit for the construction of new jermals nor extend permit for the existing ones. The policy was then followed up by the establishment of an Integrated Team for Jermal Child Labor Monitoring and Elimination. One of its impacts was the decreased number of jermals and children working on jermals. Research conducted by PKPA, with support from BftW Germany, showed that there were only 91 jermals in 2003 and the number fell to only 57 jermals with 7 jermal child labors in 2004.

Have jermals and jermal child labors been eliminated?
(Monitoring conducted by PKPA on Serdang Bedagai Waters on 4-5 February 2012)
Although program for the elimination of jermal child labors completed in 2006, regular monitoring is still conducted by some organizations such as PKPA, ILO-IPEC, media and researchers from a number of universities in Medan, Jakarta and Yogyakarta. Monitoring conducted by PKPA in 2009 found that there were still 7 jermals in operation and 2 children working on jermals. From October to November 2011, a postgraduate student from Gadjah Mada University (Universitas Gadjah Mada – UGM) Yogyakarta conducted research on jermals and found that although some jermals were still in operation, they were not productive and only had 2-3 adult workers.
Although government states that jermal child labors have been successfully eliminated, it remains a challenge to prove this. Therefore, to get updated information about the situation of jermals and jermal child labors, PKPA conducted a two-day monitoring on 4-5 February 2012 by using the following two methods:

1. Mobile phone interview
PKPA team called the following informants because they were considered to have accurate information about the situation of jermals.

Mr. Agus (Coordinator of TC2 Tanjung Balai). He is a local NGO activist in Tanjung Balai and knows information about the situation of jermals in Batu Bara, Bagan Asahan and Tanjung Balai.

Miss Rafiqah Nalar Rizky (A postgraduate student of Gadjah Mada University). She conducted research on child labors in offshore fishing sector in September-November 2011. During the research, she visited Sei Berombang waters, the District of Labuhan Batu, on which a lot of jermals exist.

Mr. Dedy Sofian (Coordinator of Sanggar Sri Denai, Pantai Labu). He is a child NGO activist who knows the situation of jermals in Deli Serdang and Serdang Bedagai waters.

The interviews revealed that it could be ensured that there was no productive activity on jermals. Although some jermals still existed, their condition was unsafe because their piles had been petrified and were not replaced with the new ones. Currently, many former jermal workers work in fishing boats because they are more dynamic and can move from one location to another based on the condition of sea water and position of fishes.

2. Visit to jermals
The monitoring was conducted in Pantai Cermin and Sialang Buah waters of the District of Serdang Bedagai. During the monitoring, PKPA also got information about situation of jermals in Beting Bawal waters of the District of Batu Bara. This information was obtained from indepth interviews with a number of fishermen and fishing boat owners who often catch fishes on the waters. The informants are Mr. Ibas or Mr. Kumis (60 years) and Mr. Ucok (50 years).
The two informants said that east coast of North Sumatra covered the Districts of Langkat, Deli Serdang, Serdang Bedagai, Batu Bara, Bagan Asahan, Tanjung Balai and Labuhan Batu. Currently, jermals only exist in two or three of these districts. The highest number of jermals is in Beting Bawal waters, the District of Batu Bara. It is estimated that there are about 10 jermals there. Meanwhile, there are 4 jermals in Pantai Cermin and Sialang Buah waters, the District of Serdang Bedagai. Jermals in Beting Bawal waters are more productive and have more workers than those of in other areas. On average, a jermal in Beting Bawal waters employs 8-10 workers. Two of them are adults and they become a foreman and vice foreman while the rests usually are children and young people who are still single. There are two jermals in Pantai Cermin waters, Jermal Pak Tua and Jermal Lamhai, and two jermals in Sialang Buah waters, Jermal Lamtua and Jermal Sun-Seng. A jermal in both Pantai Cermin and Sialang Buah waters employs on average 3-5 workers and generally they are adults.
To support information provided by Mr. Kumis and Mr. Ucok, PKPA visited jermals in Pantai Cermin waters. The first jermal visited by PKPA is Jermal Pak Tua. It is about six miles from the coast and it took us an hour to reach the jermal by a boat rented from a local fisherman.
Having arrived in Jermal Pak Tua, PKPA team were welcome by an adult jermal worker wearing short trousers and a big, fierce dog which always barked at us. At that time, the weather was bad and the waves reached 2.5 meters in height. Extra caution is needed to enable us to reach jermal floor because it is about 5 meters in height from the sea water. If you slip or if the rope breaks, you will fall into the sea.
There are two adult workers and a foreman named Mr. Legion (55 years) in Jermal Pak Tua. In addition to these jermal workers, we also met 5 men from Medan. They have been two days on the jermal for fishing. We did not find any child labor on it. Mr. Legion said that Jermal Pak Tua and other jermals in Pantai Cermin waters no longer recruited and employed children. This was because they were afraid if they employed children, its permit would be suspended by government. Currently, there were only few people working on jermals because they were no longer promising and profitable. These last ten years, jermal production drastically fell compared to that of in 1980s and 1990s. At that time, their income was IDR 20,000,000 per week but it is now difficult to only earn IDR 5,000,000 per month. Their catch has drastically dropped due to increased number of fishing boats operating around jermals. He further said that it was estimated that jermals would have collapsed by next two years.
Having on Jermal Pak Tua for one and half hours, the monitoring team continued their journey to Jermal Lam Hai. It is about 2 miles away from Jermal Pak Tua. The distance was covered in 30 minutes by boat. On this jermal, the team only met 3 workers and a foreman. All of them are adults and have an average age of 40 years. Since the weather got worse and the waves were higher and higher, the monitoring team decided to return to the land and put off their plan to visit two other jermals in Sialang Buah waters.

From jermals to fishing boats
Following the successful elimination of jermal child labors, child exploitation in fishing sector has shifted from jermals to fishing boats. This phenomenon strengthens an assumption that although the issue of jermal child labor can be addressed effectively, the involvement of children in hazardous works such as in offshore fishing sector continues until now.
Almost all fishing boats employ child labors. A fishing boat usually employs 2-3 children. However, it is more difficult to study child labors on fishing boats than those on jermals. This is because fishing boats can move from one place to another when they are in operation. Additionally, information from local communities who had ever employed their children on a fishing boat revealed that they preferred to employ their children on fishing boat than jermals because they would go home every one or two weeks so that they did not need to wait for months to enable them to see their children again. Nevertheless, working system and types of works in fishing boat may put children at high risk because the works are exploitative and they are particularly vulnerable to various abuses by adults working on the fishing boat. (Rafiqah Nalar Rizky, 2011)
A rapid assessment conducted by ILO-IPEC in 2004 found that it was estimated that there were 1,622-7,157 children working on fishing boats. This estimate was made based on the number of fishing boats operating in east coast and west coast of North Sumatra which was 27,442; each fishing boat employs 1-5 children and an estimate of 5%-90% of each fishing boat employs children1). A further study as well as government’s and relevant parties’ seriousness will be needed to know the accuracy and validity of information about the situation of child labors in offshore fishing sector, especially in fishing boats.

Sabtu, Februari 04, 2012

BAYI TERLANTAR BERHASIL DISELAMATKAN

“MENYELAMATKAN BAYI USIA + 5 BULAN “


Seorang bayi perempuan tanpa identitas bersama dengan seorang perempuan yang diduga adalah ibu biologisnya terlantar dikawasan Simpang Selayang, Jl. Setia Budi, Kelurahan Selayang Kecamatan Medan Selayang, Kota Medan. Saat ditemukan pertama kali sekitar bulan November usia bayi tersebut diperkiraan 2 bulan. Ibu yang membawa bayinya diduga mengalami “gangguan kejiwaan”. Warga yang ada disekitar Simpang Selayang melihat setiap hari perempuan tersebut menggendong bayi berjenis kelamin perempaun selalu mundar mandir di persimpangan jalan tersebut.

Beberapa warga setempat mengatakan kepada staf PKPA bahwa anak yang dibawa perempuan tersebut sering dimandikan dengan air parit, dijemur dipanasan, dimandikan air hujan, dan tidur di Kaki-5 warung kopi. Sehari-harinya anak tersebut hanya mengkonsumsi makanan yang sama dengan apa yang dimakan ibunya seperti minum Kopi, makan mie instan dan terkadang lontong sayur. Hampir tidak ada asupan gizi yang diberikan kepada bayi tersebut, meski ada warga yang bersimpati untuk memberikan pakaian, alas tidur untuk bayi, susu dan makan-makanan yang bisa dikonsumsi bayi namun ditolak oleh ibunya.

Asal-usul bayi dan ibunya di Simpang Selayang tersebut tidak ada yang mentahui pasti dari mana diketahui pasti dari mana datangnya. Sang ibu juga tidak dapat diajak komunikasi dengan baik, selalu curiga dan marah bila ada yang mendekatinya. Pada siang hari mereka ada di trotoar jalan dan pada malamnya mereka memanfaatkan emperan warung kopi untuk berteduh dan menjadikan meja warung untuk tempat tidur bayi. Cuaca panas, hujan dan dinginnya malam dirasakan langsung oleh sang bayi tanpa ada perlindungan dari Ibunya. Tidak hanya sampai disitu penderitaan yang dialami oleh sang bayi, kekerasan fisik juga sering dialami si bayi jika anaknya menangis terus, bahkan warga setempat bernama Ibu Cicik pernah melihat langsung si Ibu membanting bayinya ke tanah. Kondisi fisik bayi sangat memprihatinkan, beberapa bagian kulit bayi dibagian wajah, tangan dan kaki terlihat gosong dan terkelupas serta bagian punggung memar.

AKHIRNYA DISELAMATKAN
Setelah aksi penyelamatan mengalami beberapa kali kegagalan karena perlawanan dari si Ibu kepada tim PKPA dan Dinas Sosial Sumut, akhirnya pada hari Minggu, 22 January 2012 pukul 10.30 wib si bayi malang berhasil diselamatkan. Tim penyelamatan terdiri dari Dinas Kesejahteraan dan Sosial Sumatera Utara, Satuan Polisi Pamong Praja, Kepala Lingkungan Kelurahan Selayang, Polresta Medan, PKPA dan dibantu Warga sekitar Simpang Selayang. Setelah berhasil dipisahkan si bayi dengan ibunya, tim langsung membawa bayi tersebut ke Rumah Sakit Umum Bina Kasih, Medan Sunggal. Sementara sang Ibu dibawa ke Rumah Sakit Jiwa, Medan untuk menjalani pemeriksaan psikologis dan pemulihan. Perlawanan keras yang dilakukan oleh sang Ibu direspon dengan baik oleh Satuan Polisi Pamong Praja dan dibantu Ibu-ibu warga Simpang Selayang.

Hasil diagnosa tim Dokter RS. Bina Kasih mengatakan bahwa bayi tersebut mengalami memar diseluruh badan akibat tidak pernah menggantikan pakaian bayi yang penuh kotoran bayi hingga mengalami luka, lecet, dan berkerak diubun-ubun kepala bayi. Pihak RS. Bina Kasih memberikan penanganan intensif diruang ICU. Setelah menjalani perawatan selama satu minggu, kondisi bayi mulai membaik, menurut Kepala Rumah Sakit kondisinya sudah 80% baik.

Untuk menjaga dan menjamin kelangsungan hidup dan tumbuh kembang si bayi, PKPA, Dinas Kesejahteraan Sosial Provinsi Sumatera Utara, Unit PPA Polrestas Medan dan RSU Bina Kasih terus melakukan koordinasi. Saat ini perawatn bayi diserahkan kepada pihak Rumah Sakit sampai kondisi bayi pulih 100%. Dinas Kesejahteraan Sosial dan PKPA terus melakukan pemantauan terhadap perkembangan bayi dan juga perkembangan si Ibu. (Report by; Misran Lubis (Deputi Direktur PKPA)